New Orleans Pelicans: Grades for blowout loss vs. Mavericks

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Mavericks: Grades for the wings

James Johnson started the game off well with a pick-and-pop three followed by a midrange pull-up, but then fizzled out.

Johnson’s stats are fine: 11 points on 50 percent shooting, three rebounds, and two assists. On offense, he contributed as he tends to do, with a nice eurostep finish and a reverse layup being his highlights of the night.

However, I thought the veteran forward struggled on the defensive end of the floor. Johnson looked a step slow reacting to the Mavericks’ dynamic offense and didn’t make himself felt at all.

Wes Iwundu was okay on an individual level against the Mavs, but the Pelicans continue to not see any real benefits whenever he is on the floor.

Iwundu is often a complete neutral who seems like he is just getting a cardio workout when he leaves the bench. He doesn’t defend (and certainly doesn’t attack) at a high level, doesn’t make an impact with his motor, doesn’t create for others, and can’t get his own shot off.

Even worse, when he isn’t a zero, it seems like Iwundu often makes things worse. He was a -19 against the Mavericks in 12 minutes, similar to when he was a -15 against Charlotte in 17 minutes.

This C- grade isn’t atrocious, but the problem is that this is Iwundu’s usual level. To sum things up, the entire Pelicans team played at a C- level (if not worse) against the Mavericks.

Didi Louzada finally made his New Orleans Pelicans debut.

Part of me wants to give the Brazilian wing a higher grade than a C, but it’s also true that this was a really small sample size at a time when the Mavericks were basically just getting an extended workout in. Still, I really liked what I saw from Louzada.

On his first night in a New Orleans uniform, Louzada played with great effort and was a team-high +10. He hounded Luka Doncic and genuinely made him uncomfortable at times, even if it was to no real effect on the actual result. Louzada added value with his defense in the Australian NBL and I expect him to eventually do the same in the NBA.

Offensively, Louzada mostly looked to get his own shot, which is natural on one’s debut. He airballed a three, for instance, but he also scored his first NBA points on a nice drive to the rim. I look forward to seeing more of him in the Pelicans’ two remaining games.

James Nunnally also played four minutes and made a three.