Neither the smiles nor the wins have stopped for Jayson Tatum
You might think a team that's just 2 games under .500 and with a demonstrable losing streak should surely have a notable winning streak, but nope. New Orleans just keeps ping-ponging between loss and win, with just one two-game win streak to their credit this season. That is, until the Pelicans exacted revenge on the Los Angeles Lakers for an earlier 2-point loss by shredding them 111-97 and essentially going box to wire in a spirited victory.
Once again, it was Jayson Tatum who carried the load, scoring 30+ points for the second time in as many games in a Pelicans uniform, 11/25, 2/7, 10/10 for 34 points, 7 rebounds, and a block in taking home his second straight Player of the Game distinction. Obviously the streak of both 30 and wins will end at some point, but it's been an incredible pair of opening salvos to start life in the Big Easy.
You'd probably expect Tyrese Maxey to be the other big scoring star. You'd be wrong. He was held to just 8 points on 2/8 shooting, all from downtown, as the Purple and Gold strategized to blockade him and dare Tatum to beat them by himself.
So who gave JT the help he needed?
Asbjorn Midtgaard sparkled in his Pelicans debut
Look no further than Asbjorn Midtgaard. In his first game as a Pelican, playing the PF spot, he hit every single one of his FGA and was 6/7 from the charity stripe for 18 points, adding 5 rebounds, a steal, and 3 monster blocks despite drawing a tough assignment in veteran Mo Wagner.
In fact, it was a bit of a tough outing for the starting lineup in general. Only those two broke double digits in scoring, and all of the first five were barely positive at +2, even though Mark Williams shut down Alex Sarr in a battle of #1 overall picks, holding him to 2/14, 0/6 for just 4 points and 4 rebounds, while Williams had 8 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
No, it was the bench that stepped up to secure the victory, the second unit blowing the doors off the visiting Lakers at +12 or +13 for the mainline players.
Scotty Pippen Jr. elevated his play
While he didn't have the explosive camp the Pelicans were hoping for, #9 overall pick Scotty Pippen Jr. has had some nice games early in his career as he's wielding a wicked 3 point shot (44.8% for the season). It was on display last night as he was 4/8, 3/5 from long-range for 11 points, a career high 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in contributing in multiple facets of the game.
"We're not worried about Scotty," said head coach Doc Rivers. "All the scouts wanna talk about well where's his growth, where's his growth, and we're just over here like, he's producing. He's producing on the court and that's what matters."
And then there was New Orleans' #3 scorer on the evening.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper attacked the rim time and time again
One of the things that emerged out of preseason was Olivier-Maxence Prosper looking much more accurate than his rookie season, and a greater comfort level with charging downhill. He did exactly that in the win, going 7/11 from the floor, 3/3 from the charity stripe for 17 points and a steal. It's part of his emergence this season, going from 43.4% shooting his rookie year to 51% his sophomore campaign, raising his PPG from 7.3 to 9.5 despite going from a starter to a reserve.
"We're especially seeing our work at sculpting his game pay off in getting free throw attempts," said a New Orleans coach. "Last season, he had 22 FTA on the season. This year, he's already got 28 FTA and we're not even a quarter of the way through. Big, big improvement."
No surprise the front office has been disinclined to trade him, rejecting an offer for him.
Other Notes
1. It's been a rough start for Anfernee Simons in Philadelphia. 3/12 in a shocking debut 3-point loss to Toronto on the back end of a Raptors B2B and and 4-12 in an ugly win against Indiana, making him 7/24 (29.2%) his first two games and drawing criticism for the Raptors loss.
2. On the other hand, Karl-Anthony Towns was a bright spot and PotG in the Indiana debut - 9/16 for 19 points, 10 rebounds, and a steal in the gritty win. KAT led all scorers as both teams shot 37.2% or worse.
3. Speaking of Philadelphia, the 76ers are reportedly still exploring moves, but the Pelicans aren't likely partners for a third trade. Nor is a move likely until at least Day 60 unless it involves Hassani Gravett or Moses Brown. "One of the most interesting things we've seen happen this year is how Brown has gone from key reserve and late-season starter to garbage time minutes," said an unaffiliated scout. "Kid has talent and is considered underrated in a few front offices, but Goga Bitadze is just proving a better fit for how the Pelicans play."
4. At least one team has checked in on Coby White, but New Orleans isn't ready to deal him while they're in the play-in hunt. "I'm hearing they want to see more development out of SPJ first before they make that move. And if the team drafts point guard for the second year in a row this offseason, maybe you see a trade happen then," said the scout. "Of course, if things go south by the deadline, you can see them dealing him and Tatum out for rebuilding assets. But I think as long New Orleans is in play-in position or near it, White sticks around."
