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This season has been a barn burner for the New Orleans Pelicans. Riding Anthony Davis' transcendent play after their other star DeMarcus Cousins went down to injury, they fought to get to the 6th seed in the war of attrition that was the race for the Western Conference standings.
There they made a splash, very comprehensively sweeping the series against the more fancied Portland Trail Blazers, who simply could not cope with the brilliance of Anthony Davis.
Despite going out in the second round against a returning Stephen Curry and a full-strength Warriors, Pelicans players, fans, and the organization can look back at one of the best seasons they've had since drafting Anthony Davis back in 2012. Here we take a look at the Pelicans who made it possible.
(NB: Only the players who have played at least 10 minutes per game during the playoffs are being graded)
#8 Solomon Hill: C+
Solomon Hill has had a relatively quiet season this year - being injured with a torn left hamstring for a part of the season - but he arrived well in time for the playoffs and has been a decent contributor to the team.
Primarily signed to be a wing defender, Hill was also used as a three-point marksman for the Pelicans during their playoff run, fulfilling his role well as a 3-and-D player. He was tasked with guarding Kevin Durant during the second round matchup against the Warriors, no easy feat.
Hill's best moment during their playoff run was an excellent 1st-quarter burst against the Warriors in Game 3 of their second-round matchup, where he took advantage of the Warriors excess defensive attention to Davis to hit three 3-point shots, extending the Pelicans lead from the 11-11 tie up until the point. Prior to this, he had been going at a 2-for-8 clip from 3 point range.
#7 Ian Clark: B-
Ian Clark had captured the imaginations of many Warriors fans last season when he showcased his ability to play in almost a Steph Curry-esque way when Curry was on the bench, on his way to winning an NBA Championship with the Warriors.
Steve Kerr even commented on how Clark was one of his favorite players, and Clark definitely made his shots count for the Pelicans, putting up nearly 8 points at a 42.4% clip this postseason.
Clark was an excellent part of the New Orleans "bench mob", being in position for and hitting (some long) threes at important junctures throughout games as New Orleans powered through the first round versus the Blazers.
Despite being somewhat limited versus his old team, Clark was effective and was a big contributor for the Pels in their Game 3 win over the Warriors, scoring a playoff-career high 18 points. He provided the spark in the second half, going off for 14 of his 18 points off 7 of 11 shooting with 3 three-point FGs, as the Pelicans recorded a Franchise playoff record 14 three-pointers.
#6 Darius Miller: B
This time last year, Darius Miller was gearing playing in the German BBL playoffs with Brose Bamberg. Fast forward a year and this example of why patience pays is an epitome of consistency in a bench role for the Pelicans.
Throughout the regular season, Miller had been playing at a much higher level than expected, and his play has not suffered much of a drop-off in the postseason.
Many times during both the first and second rounds, he played the role of a spark plug off the bench very effectively, hitting his shots at critical junctures.
He provided a regular scoring punch with efficiency and perfectly complimenting the dribble-drive ability of Holiday, Rondo and Davis, being positioned to hit a three off the wing or the corners. Miller's consistency and efficiency ranked him second in offensive rating for the Pelicans this post-season.
Miller's best moment in the playoffs also happened to be the longest shot of the NBA season in 2017-18. Just before halftime of Game 1 of the second round versus the Warriors, off a JaVale McGee miss, Miller heaved a prayer-shot from his own free throw line. Miller's Miracle sailed through the entirety of the court, past all Warriors players, before going straight through the bucket for a three-quarter court shot for three.
#5 E'Twaun Moore: B+
One of the biggest reasons for the success of the Pelicans this season has been the competence of the role players that the Pelicans have, and the best of the bunch this season has been E'Twaun Moore.
Moore did not come close to having the same impact that he has had in his earlier stints in Boston, Orlando and Chicago, but has been a revelation in his role- both in the the regular season and in the postseason. Moore put up 11.3 points at almost 47% shooting and 36% from deep after hitting over 50% of his shots in the regular season.
Unlike the other role players, he was even more effective in the Western Conference semifinals against the Warriors. The Warriors defensive schemes were deservedly set up to combat the sheer effectiveness of Anthony Davis, often using double-teams and Moore took full advantage, scoring close to 14 points per game against the champions, including 20 points in their Game 4 loss to the Warriors
Moore stepped up to fill the defensive hole left by Solomon Hill's injury, especially in the first round versus the Blazers, forming an effective partnership with guards Rondo and Holiday to stifle the famed backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.
Moore does not have a guaranteed contract with the Pelicans for next season but seems to have done enough to stay with the Pelicans next season.
#4 Nikola Mirotic: A-
There is a reason why the Chicago Bulls decided to give up their leading scorer and possibly their best player midseason (apart from the Bobby Portis punch of course), and that was because Mirotic was destroying opponents and the Bulls' tanking plans after he came back from his orbital bone 'injury'.
He was scoring 16.8 points at 47.4% accuracy and he continued that rich vein of form right through the rest of the season as a Pelican and into the playoffs.
To say that he has complimented Anthony Davis's game is an understatement. Mirotic in the playoffs has been absolutely on fire, hitting almost 48% of his shots, including 43.1% from three and has been no slouch defensively
Mirotic has been especially prolific in his outside scoring mode, expertly playing alongside dribble drive experts like Holiday and Davis and an absolutely brilliant passer in Rajon Rondo.
Post shots, corner shots, catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, off-balance fadeaway shots, shots from way downtown, the Montenegrin has scored in almost every manner imaginable, making fellow European forward Jusuf Nurkic look especially slow and plodding in the first round tie against the Portland Trail Blazers. Just look at this for evidence:
Mirotic has more than proved capable of being the proper in-out frontcourt punch the Pelicans can build upon moving forward, whether Cousins stays with them or not.
#3 Jrue Holiday: A
Over the years, analysts have commented that Jrue Holiday is more combo-guard than point-guard and the 27-year-old guard out of UCLA has done everything in his power to prove them right this post-season. With Rajon Rondo expertly holding the reins to the offense, Holiday has been at it doing what he does best: scoring.
Playing almost 40 minutes per game these playoffs, Holiday has been averaging 23.7 points per game on 51.8% shooting, to go with 5.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists. He has expertly played the secondary scorer role, barreling into the heart of the opposition defense, making shots and if they're unavailable, immediately whipping the ball out to the eager hands of Darius Miller, Ian Clark, and Nikola Mirotic.
Holiday's best game in the playoffs came during Game 4 of the First Round Western Conference matchup versus the Portland Trail Blazers when he and Anthony Davis combined for a total of 88 points, with Holiday adding 41 points.
Holiday also recorded a triple-double versus the Warriors with 27 points 10 Rebounds and 11 Assists during Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals when New Orleans was eliminated by the Warriors
#1 Rajon Rondo: A+
Mr. Playoff Rondo has been graded an A+ (a tied-first) because of the sheer all-round impact which he has had on the Pelicans playoff run this postseason. It would not be a stretch to say that the Pelicans would not reach the playoffs without his play.
He has played the role of a true point guard in this era of positionless basketball, ensuring the ball zips around, reaches the right man at the right time and freeing up others to do what they are best at.
Rondo has put to bed any doubts regarding whether he is still capable of contributing on a high level for a playoff team. After a fractious few seasons in the wilderness, he has come into his own dishing out assist after assist into the eager hands of Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday and Nikola Mirotic.
In the playoffs, he dished out a playoff-leading 12.2 assists per game across the two rounds. This includes a 17-assist game in Game 1 of the Round 1 matchup versus Portland, a 16-assist game in Game 4 of the series, and an incredible playoff franchise-record setting 21 assists versus the Warriors in Game 3 of the Conference Semis.
This entire postseason he has been setting up Anthony Davis for some of the most fearsome alley-oop dunks Davis has ever scored in his career.
Rondo's game this postseason has freed up scorer Jrue Holiday from most of his compulsory ball-handling duties, allowing Holiday to realize his potential as an excellent scorer. Also, once regarded as a player who could not hit jump-shots, Rondo has been hitting 42% of his shots from downtown.
A true floor general.
#1 Anthony Davis: A++
No other person has had more impact on one team during these playoffs than Anthony Davis has had on the Pelicans. Davis stepped up blindingly after DeMarcus Cousins went down with injury, producing day in and day out in the regular season, and carried his brilliance right into the playoffs.
The very first match of the Playoffs, the Brow took control of the Blazers by completely neutralizing their franchise player Damian Lillard in Game 1 and then proceeded to continually overcome any and every form of defense that the Blazers threw at him in the first round.
He produced a brilliant 33 points per game shooting 57.6% from the field in the Conference Quarterfinals, which included a 47-point game in the close-out match versus the Blazers, to go along with 11.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game during the entirety of the series.
What the stats do not show is the simply transcendent nature of Davis's game, his application, his athleticism at finishing some very difficult plays,including alley-oop after alley-oop, the way he drew in defenders allowing the other Pelicans to score, his chemistry with Rondo, Holiday and Mirotic and his willingness to go to the extra distance to ensure his team gets the best plays in.
Davis ended his first playoff run into the Conference semifinals averaging 30.1 points per game on 52% shooting, along with 13.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks, and although they were eventually defeated by the full strength Warriors, Kevin Durant himself has spoken of Davis' excellence.
With his play, Anthony Davis has spoken volumes about his desire to bring the NBA Championship to New Orleans. This is just the beginning for Playoff Davis.
