On Sunday, there was little doubt that the New Orleans Pelicans wouldn’t win their game. That proved the case as they defeated the lowly Detroit Pistons 114-101. Zion Williamson scored 36 points and nearly went perfect from the field (13-14).
After the game, CJ McCollum of the Pelicans decided to shout out the reserves. The 32-year-old proclaimed 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 had 21.
Veteran Pelicans Player Proclaims His Team Has Best Bench
Where the Pelicans Bench Ranks This Season
According to Statmuse, the Pelicans aren’t close to being among the top-scoring benches in the league. The top-scoring reserve unit belongs to the Indiana Pacers, averaging 46.6 points per contest.
New Orleans sits in the middle of the pack regarding bench scoring. They are 15th of the NBA’s 30 teams, averaging 33.7 points from their reserves.
Some of their other bench rankings (all via Statmuse) include being 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 Have Been the Key Reserves for the Pelicans?
Probably the top bench player for New Orleans this season was in their starting lineup on Sunday. That would be Trey Murphy III, who has been inserted as a starter with Brandon Ingram out with a knee injury. Murphy III has come off the bench in 33 of his 46 appearances. The 23-year-old has averaged 13.8 points in that role. He has connected on 91 three-pointers off the bench at a 36.7% clip.
The Pelicans were also without Dyson Daniels on Sunday, who missed the last 19 games due to a knee injury. He was selected eighth overall in the 2022 NBA Draft and has come off the bench 37 times, averaging 4.5 points and 3.1 rebounds.
Undrafted in 2021, Alvarado has forced his way into the rotation since joining the league due to his defensive relentlessness. The 25-year-old has averaged 2.2 steals per 36 minutes this season and 2.3 over his three-year career.
Jordan Hawkins hasn’t been the most accurate shooter, but he’s still averaging 8.5 points in 18.3 minutes per game. Nance Jr. is averaging 5.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and a steal in his 19.3 minutes per outing. Marshall has nailed 39.0% of his three-point tries while averaging 7.4 points.
Depth Needed as Pelicans Battle for Playoff Positioning
While it’s hard to discern if McCollum is right in his assessment, the Pelicans need all hands on deck to keep their playoff positioning. This is especially true until Ingram returns.
At 44-27, the Pelicans are currently 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 ensure home-court advantage in at least the first round of the playoffs.
New Orleans is two games ahead of the sixth-seeded Phoenix Suns. They are 2.5 games up on the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks, who are seventh and eighth in the conference, respectively. A top-six seed is needed to avoid the Play-In Tournament.
