New Orleans Pelicans: 4 questions before game vs. Chicago Bulls

Question 4: Can Nickeil Alexander-Walker stay efficient?

I thought there were signs from game one that Nickeil Alexander-Walker is ready to be a star.

He did have some defensive lapses, especially in the second half, but he played very efficiently on offense, scoring 23 points on just 16 shots and hitting half of his 3-point attempts.

I loved the poise and confidence he showed in the first game, as he didn’t force anything, made good reads and looked far more comfortable initiating the offense then moving without the ball.

The Pelicans need someone to step up with Zion Williamson out and Alexander-Walker can be that guy, but he needs to continue to be efficient, not force things, take bad shots or give up bad turnovers.

Hopefully he can offset some of LaVine’s offense with his own scoring barrage and force the Bulls’ star to work on the other end.

This is a tough matchup for the New Orleans Pelicans, so they will have to play tight defense on LaVine, keep Lonzo Ball quiet in transition and take advantage of some of their own mismatches with Brandon Ingram.