Pelicans: Would you rather have Nickeil Alexander-Walker or Tyler Herro?

New Orleans Pelicans: The case for Nickeil Alexander-Walker over Tyler Herro

The funny thing is, if the Pelicans had just taken Herro with the 8th pick instead of Jaxson Hayes, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, as the Pels could have both of them.

But I am going to go on the record now and say that Nickeil Alexander-Walker will be better than Tyler Herro before their careers are finished.

NAW had an up-and-down season and a role to match, as Stan Van Gundy yanked him in and out of the lineup so many times that he was never given a chance to find a rhythm or figure out his place on a team with two ball-dominant players in Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

Alexander-Walker may never be the polished scorer that Herro is, but he has had huge games for the Pelicans and averaged more than 19 per game as a starter, which he figures to be next season.

He is also worlds better than Herro on defense, as NAW has the size, strength and athleticism to defend multiple spots on the perimeter and averaged a steal per game last season even though he wasn’t getting big minutes.

Herro is a sieve on defense, a guy that other teams target in the pick-and-roll, and one of the main reasons he didn’t play a lot in the playoffs.

NAW is developing more slowly than Herro on offense, but he has a bag too, and is a better penetrator than Herro. The difference in 3-point shooting isn’t as profound as Herro Stans would have you believe, as NAW shot 34.7 percent on 4.8 attempts per game in a lesser role than Herro had in Miami.

NAW is primed for a breakout season and I think by the end of the year he will be considered one of the top-10 players in his draft class and a guy most would prefer over Tyler Herro.