New Orleans Pelicans: Grades for close loss vs. Sixers

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Sixers: Grades for the bigs

Willy Hernangómez got another start due to Steven Adams’ recurrent toe injury.

The Spanish center wasn’t bad, per se, but this was a tough match-up against Joel Embiid. Embiid bullied Hernangómez in every way imaginable, particularly in the first half when he demonstrated his MVP credentials.

Hernangómez had no answer for one of the best two centers in the league. He was simply outplayed and overwhelmed, which is what tends to happen when a perennial all-star comes up against someone who has largely been a rotation big. This can be the harsh reality of the NBA and it’s why he gets this B- grade despite not necessarily having a bad night on an individual level.

Hernangómez still pitched in on offense with 11 points and nine rebounds, four of which were offensive. He also showed off some nice passing, getting a season-high five assists. Again, this grade is a little tough on him, but it’s a byproduct of who he was up against.

I usually have Wenyen Gabriel as a wing, but there’s no doubt in my mind that he was a big against the Sixers.

Gabriel played his minutes at the 4 and honestly did really well. I’m a big fan of the big man from South Sudan because of his motor, length, and versatility that allow him to be a constant disruptor on defense.

He was just that against the Sixers. Gabriel really got after it on the defensive end of the floor and bothered Philadelphia’s players on more than one occasion. In terms of stats, he got two steals, but his actual impact was more than that. He had the Pels’ highest plus-minus of +13 which, in this case, truly does reflect his impact on the game.

None of this was that big of a surprise, though. Gabriel has always looked bright on defense—it’s offense where he has struggled. The former Kentucky Wildcat sometimes has negative offensive feel which relegates him to being a perpetual end-of-the-bench player at the NBA level, but he made his shots against the Sixers.

Gabriel made a trifecta of threes and free throws to finish with 12 points. He is fighting an uphill climb to play a bigger role in the NBA, but I hope he succeeds.