New Orleans Pelicans: Grades for overtime loss vs. Wizards

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Wizards: Grades for the bigs

Zion Williamson had the worst game of his New Orleans Pelicans career to date against the Wizards.

Sure, he scored 21 points on 50 percent shooting, but the Pels’ all-star was mostly terrible. He picked up three quick fouls in the first half, all of them sloppy and unnecessary, meaning that he did not have the chance to get into a good rhythm even after a rough start.

All night long, Williamson looked really off the mark. He was insecure with the ball in his hands—seven turnovers, a career-high—and uncomfortable finishing at the basket.

Williamson was really bothered by the Wizards’ length when he got to the rim. Daniel Gafford got the better of him multiple times, concluding with a massively important block at the end of the fourth quarter that could have given the Pelicans the win.

I expect Williamson to bounce back as early as Saturday versus the New York Knicks.

Steven Adams has unsurprisingly looked much better since Brandon Ingram’s return.

He had a solid performance against Washington on both ends of the floor. The Kiwi big generally protected the rim well, even if he had to adjust a little after getting caught out of position guarding the pick-and-roll early on.

This game was a favorable positional matchup for Adams, since none of the Wizards’ bigs can really do much outside of the paint. Daniel Gafford went off for a memorable game against the Pels, but keep in mind that he only scored once against Adams.

On attack, the New Zealand center once again showed the synergy he has with Brandon Ingram. Adams got Ingram some good looks by setting tough screens, while also handing out four assists.

Jaxson Hayes did not play well once again.

The Texas center saw just nine minutes of game time, primarily because he could not deal with Gafford. The Wizards’ big beat Hayes in just about every facet of the contest, and he was promptly taken out of Friday’s rotation in favor of Willy Hernangómez.

Like I wrote after the Pels’ last game, progress is not linear. Hayes will still have rough nights, but it’s important to not forget all the development he displayed during the last few weeks.

Willy Hernangómez played for 20 minutes because of Jaxson Hayes’ struggles and did really well.

I thought the Spanish center was pivotal for the Pels in the second half. Hernangómez was impactful with his scoring and, most of all, with his rebounding. He quickly vacuumed up 10 rebounds, five of which were offensive.

Hernangómez’s most viable role in the NBA is probably as a bench big that can provide some instant offense. He is legitimately huge, yet skilled enough to be productive down low. His problem tends to be defense, although that wasn’t the case against the Wizards.

Hernangómez was a +11 against Washington. Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook got some fouls on him, but that is to be expected. Overall, a positive extended cameo for Hernangómez.