New Orleans Pelicans: Devonte’ Graham is more clutch than Lonzo Ball
New Orleans Pelicans: Devonte’ Graham is a much better shooter in the clutch than Lonzo Ball
One of the reasons that the New Orleans Pelicans lost so many close games was because Lonzo Ball stunk in the clutch.
This wasn’t all his fault, as the Pelicans often relied on an isolation-heavy offense featuring Zion Williamson trying to plow through four defenders. This left Lonzo Ball standing at the 3-point line most of the time, which is probably not his strength as a player.
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But for a guy who had a reputation as a “big game” player entering the NBA, Lonzo Ball sure didn’t play like it in close games.
Lonzo shot just 37.8 percent from the field in clutch time and just 34.8 from 3-point range. The Pelicans had an 11-17 record when Ball was on the floor in clutch time games.
Compare that to Devonte’ Graham, who shot 45.2 percent from the field in the clutch, and an outstanding 42.9 percent from 3-point range which led to the Hornets having a 14-12 record, which is why the Hornets made the play-in tournament and the Pelicans didn’t.
Graham had a +/- of 2.1 in the clutch while Lonzo’s was only 0.1, so Graham was a decisively better player in close games.
But there is another way he will help the New Orleans Pelicans close out in the 4th quarter.