The New Orleans Pelicans won their first game of the Summer League, defeating the Chicago Bulls in a game that was closer than the 94-77 score would indicate.
The Pels used a late 23-6 run to put the Bulls away, which was nice to see even though it is ultimately a meaningless Summer League game.
The Bulls and Pelicans will likely be rivals this season after the Lonzo Ball saga, which is still ongoing due to a tampering investigation that could cost the Pels a first-round draft pick.
The two teams are also embroiled in a negotiation for restricted free agent Lauri Markkanen, who probably should have been included in the Lonzo Ball trade to begin with, as the Pels got next to nothing for helping the Bulls by orchestrating a sign-and-trade.
This could spill over into the regular season, but for now, this was just a Summer League game, so let’s not get too worked up.
Here are some way-too-early takeaways from the Pelicans’ win over the Bulls.
New Orleans Pelicans: Trey Murphy III is going to be a steal
It’s hard to believe that a 6-foot-9 forward who shoots 43 percent from 3-point range dropped to the 17th pick, but it was good luck for the Pelicans.
I thought Trey Murphy III was going to thrive in New Orleans, but after last night, he looks like the steal of the draft.
I understand that this was just Summer League and eventually Murphy III is going to face better opponents, but he is also going to have Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram as teammates, which is going to lead to a lot of open shots.
Murphy III showed that he can hit them, knocking down six of nine 3-pointers on his way to 26 points to lead both teams.
Murphy III looked smooth, athletic and ready to join the Pelicans’ rotation right now, which is pretty exciting.
New Orleans Pelicans: Naji Marshall doesn’t belong in Summer League
Two things became clear about Naji Marshall from the first Summer League game.
The first is that he doesn’t belong in Summer League. Marshall looked like a man among boys for most of the game and showed a skillset that belongs in an NBA rotation, not with the kids in Summer League.
He also showed that the Pelicans are no longer interested in being a “quiet” team. One of the most noticeable differences in the first game was the vocal communication the Pels had, led by Marshall, whether he was calling out defensive assignments or encouraging teammates from the bench.
The Pels need a vocal leader and need to communicate more in general, as this was one of their big problems last season, especially on the defensive end.
It was nice to see Naji encouraging teammates and barking out orders. He ended with 18 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists, showing that he is ready to make an impact for the Pels this season.
New Orleans Pelicans: Can the Pels finally fix their turnover problems?
Again, it’s only one Summer League game but it was nice to see the Pelicans improve upon one of their biggest issues for the last few seasons.
Turnovers have killed the Pels for two straight years, as they have been one of the worst teams in the NBA in this category, which leads to a lot of easy buckets on the other end.
Stan Van Gundy made this a point of emphasis and the Pels improved slightly, but they need to take better care of the ball if they want to make the kind of defensive strides that they need to make the leap into the playoffs.
The Pels committed just 8 turnovers to the Bulls’ 15, which is a recipe for winning games. The Pelicans were able to contain the Bulls in transition because they had time to get back and weren’t coughing it up too much.
This was a positive first step and I hope it carries over to the season when the games matter.
New Orleans Pelicans: Is the wing defense finally improved?
Watching Naji Marshall, Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones fly around on defense was a thing of beauty and it finally looks like the Pelicans might have found the right combination of defenders to put around Zion Williamson.
The length of these three defenders was clearly bothering the Bulls and Herbert Jones looked like he could be elite at some point soon.
All three were engaged on the defensive end, which is something the Pelicans have lacked from both their starting lineup and bench.
Instead of having a bench full of guys like J.J. Redick and Nicolo Melli, who might not be able to guard me, the Pels will be bringing in guys with length who are committed to being lockdown defenders.
This is an exciting development and could be the thing that pushes the Pelicans to the next level as a team.
New Orleans Pelicans: Kira Lewis Jr. takes care of the ball
Kira Lewis Jr. missed a few shots yesterday but I thought he did a great job facilitating the offense and taking care of the ball.
He is really picking right up where he left off, as Kira Lewis Jr. had an outstanding assist to turnover ratio for a rookie last season and hopes to keep that going as his role expands.
He got off to a great start, dishing out seven assists and adding zero turnovers while adding 11 points and two rebounds.
It’s clear that Lewis Jr. still needs to improve his shot and finishing at the rim, but he is going to be a very good point guard off the bench who is going to run the offense, get out in transition and take care of the ball while playing good on-the-ball defense, which is all the Pels need him to do.
It was a great start for the young Pels, who flashed some signs of what they are going to be in the future.