3 takeaways from the Pelicans’ blowout win over the Lakers
The New Orleans Pelicans bench is starting to take form
It has taken a few games but Willie Green’s rotations are starting to shape up after a rough start to the CJ McCollum era.
I asked which role player was going to step up for the Pelicans, as their starting five has been good all season but they’ve often lacked impact contributions from the bench.
So far, Tony Snell has seized a larger role and is offering a 3-point threat that the Pels have lacked off the bench. He is not an all-world defender but he has good length is not a slouch. He had a nice steal last night when he disrupted the passing lane and also added six rebounds to go with his three 3-pointers.
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Naji Marshall is also making his case for regular minutes, as he has played well defensively of late even though his shots still aren’t falling. He made some nice hustle plays against the Lakers and ran the floor well in transition.
The Jose Alvarado/Devonte’ Graham experiment went well last night and Graham has been more consistent since his move to the bench.
The New Orleans Pelicans don’t need their bench to score a ton of points but if they can each play their role effectively, the Pels are going to be tough to beat, especially when they are at full strength.