On Sunday, there was no doubt that the New Orleans Pelicans would not win their game. This proved to be the case since they defeated the humble Detroit Pistons 114-101. Zion Williamson scored 36 points and was almost perfect on the field (13-14).
After the game, CJ McCollum of the Pelicans have decided to shout reserves. The 32-year-old proclaimed that New Orleans has “the best bench in the NBA.”
Sunday night’s game saw three bench players play at least 20 minutes. Larry Nance Jr. finished playing 27 minutes, Naji Marshall played 24, and Jose Alvarado was 21.
Veteran Pelicans player proclaims his team has the best bench
Where the Pelicans bench ranks this season
According to Statmuse, the Pelicans are not close to being among the best scorers in the league. The highest-scoring reserve unit belongs to the Indiana Pacers, averaging 46.6 points per game.
New Orleans is in the middle of the pack when it comes to bench scoring. They are 15th out of 30 NBA teams, averaging 33.7 points from their reserves.
Some of their other bench rankings (all via Statmuse) include eighth in minutes per game (90.8), seventh in rebounding (16.5), 12th in assists (8.2), and sixth in three-point percentage (37.2).
Who were the Pelicans’ main reserves?
The best player on New Orleans’ bench this season was probably in the starting lineup on Sunday. It would be Trey Murphywho was inserted as holder with Brandon Ingram out with knee injury. Murphy III came off the bench in 33 of his 46 appearances. The 23-year-old is averaging 13.8 points in this role. He made 91 three-pointers off the bench with a success rate of 36.7%.
The Pelicans were also without Dyson Daniels Sunday, who has missed the last 19 games with a knee injury. He was selected eighth overall in the 2022 NBA Draft and came off the bench 37 times, averaging 4.5 points and 3.1 rebounds.
Undrafted in 2021, Alvarado has worked his way into the rotation since joining the league due to his defensive relentlessness. The 25-year-old has averaged 2.2 interceptions per 36 minutes this season and 2.3 over his three-year career.
Jordan Hawkins isn’t the most accurate shooter, but he still averages 8.5 points in 18.3 minutes per game. Nance Jr. is averaging 5.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and one steal in his 19.3 minutes per outing. Marshall made 39.0% of his three-point attempts while averaging 7.4 points.
Depth needed as Pelicans fight for playoff positioning
While it’s difficult to determine whether McCollum is correct in his assessment, the Pelicans need all hands on deck to maintain their playoff position. This is especially true until Ingram returns.
At 44-27, the Pelicans currently sit in fifth place in the Western Conference standings. They are just a half-game behind the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers. A top-four seed is needed to secure home-field advantage in at least the first round of the playoffs.
New Orleans has a two-game lead over the sixth-seeded Phoenix Suns. They are 2.5 games ahead of the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks, seventh and eighth in the conference, respectively. A top-six seed is needed to avoid the Play-In tournament.
