The 2019 NBA Draft was an important one for the New Orleans Pelicans, who not only landed Zion Williamson, but also Jaxson Hayes, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Didi Louzada.
All of these players hope to be part of the Pelicans’ rotation next season, and in the case of NAW, inserted into the starting lineup.
We recently did a re-draft of the 2019 NBA Draft, which didn’t turn out much differently for the New Orleans Pelicans except that they took NAW with the 8th pick instead of Jaxson Hayes.
NAW has shown star potential with the Pelicans at times, though he has been inconsistent on both ends at others.
There are plenty of “what-ifs” from that draft, including the question “What if the Pelicans had selected Tyler Herro?”
New Orleans Pelicans: Re-visiting the 2019 NBA Draft
Some fans took exception to my re-draft, as I had the New Orleans Pelicans selecting Nickeil Alexander-Walker with the 8th pick and not Tyler Herro.
I think you could make an argument for several guys who were still on the board in our hypothetical re-draft, and you can bet that fans of the Miami Heat would take Herro.
But which player has more potential?
I think this is debatable and the homer in me immediately said Nickeil Alexander-Walker, but an argument can also be made that Herro will ultimately be the better player.
I’m going to make a case for each, but in the end, I think the Pelicans got the right guy.
New Orleans Pelicans: The case for Tyler Herro over Nickeil Alexander-Walker
I think Tyler Herro has had the better career so far and this really isn’t an argument.
He has played more, scored more, been on better teams and was a key part of the Heat’s run to the Finals in his rookie season.
Herro averaged 15.1 points per game last season, though he wasn’t as efficient as he was in his rookie year and his 3-point percentage dipped to 36 percent on 5.5 attempts per game.
Herro got a ton of hype during the playoffs in his rookie season, as he had some big games for the Heat and fans got a little carried away, as I’ve seen people turn down hypothetical trades that would have brought James Harden to Miami because they said Herro was “untouchable.”
He’s definitely not untouchable, but he is very good, a guy who can score from all over the floor, make plays and could end up being one of the better 3-point shooters in the NBA.
If you are only looking at the present, then Herro wins, as he has already proven he can be a key part of a playoff team and has already shown himself to have an offensive bag that is very developed for his experience level and age.
But what about the future?
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.