New Orleans Pelicans: Grades for dominant win vs. Clippers
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Clippers: Grades for the wings
New Orleans Pelicans. BRANDON INGRAM. A-. . Wing
A good, if not modest, game for Brandon Ingram.
Ingram had a quiet but great showing against the Clippers. The one-time all-star wasn’t forcing anything, as I thought he did against the Spurs in the New Orleans Pelicans’ last game, and let the game come to him instead. This was apparent in the first half, in which Ingram only took five shots.
The former Duke wing lit up after the break. Ingram scored 11 of his 17 points in the third quarter, including a trifecta of triples. He looked really comfortable pulling up from deep, stepping into threes in transition, or pulling up off the dribble.
B+. . Wing. New Orleans Pelicans. NAJI MARSHALL
Naji Marshall’s streak of solid games continues.
The former Xavier man led the Pelicans in plus-minus against the Clippers. He did a bit of everything and all of those things well.
Marshall set the tone on defense. He played hard, as he always does, and had some great possessions on LA’s wings. Marshall had two steals, but that doesn’t reflect his energy on that end of the floor.
Offensively, he was a jack of all trades. Most encouragingly, Marshall hit a couple of threes. He also had four assists.
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B+. . Wing. New Orleans Pelicans. WENYEN GABRIEL
In a surprising twist, Wenyen Gabriel was a part of Stan Van Gundy’s rotation against the Clippers.
The South Sudan forward checked in during the first quarter, which made me rub my eyes and double check if my broadcast had skipped forward. Gabriel usually only comes in when the game is decided—for better or worse—but as someone who has been wanting him in the Pels’ rotation for a while, this was nice to see.
I’m guessing that Gabriel will slip back to garbage time once James Johnson is back from injury; yet, he made a good case for himself here to get more minutes. What I enjoy the most about the former Kentucky standout is his defensive versatility.
When Gabriel was on the floor, the Pelicans were much more comfortable switching against the Clippers. Gabriel could start a possession on Marcus Morris Sr. but end it on Rajon Rondo without it causing a huge mismatch.
One key for Gabriel: his ten points and, in particular, two three-pointers. He always revs up the Pels’ defensive intensity, but Gabriel’s negative offensive feel can sometimes hurt him. If he turns this part of his game around, then I think that he will eventually settle into a more regular NBA role.
N/A. . Wing. New Orleans Pelicans. JAMES NUNNALLY
James Nunnally played two minutes of garbage time and made a quick three-pointer.
Nunnally is a nice option to have as a two-way player, especially in this pandemic season where the team might prefer a steady veteran over a younger prospect. I expect him to continue seeing little playing time until the end of the season, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a part of the training camp or Summer League roster for 2021-22.
. Wing. New Orleans Pelicans. WES IWUNDU. N/A
Wes Iwundu got the same treatment as Nunnally, with two minutes off the bench at the end of the last period.
Iwundu appears to be way down in Stan Van Gundy’s rotation. He has already seen Nunnally be preferred to him and, this time, it was Wenyen Gabriel. For me, this is a good decision by Van Gundy.