New Orleans Pelicans rookies shine in comeback win over Lakers

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 06: Herbert Jones #5 of the New Orleans Pelicans and Trey Murphy III #25 react during a preseason game at the Smoothie King Center on October 06, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

You won’t see them at the top of the Rookie of the Year race, but three New Orleans Pelicans rookies came up big on Sunday night to give the Pelicans a vital comeback win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, and Jose Alvarado all showed out, as the Pelicans defeated the Lakers 116-108. This allowed them to jump the Lakers in the standings, taking over as the ninth seed out West.

New Orleans Pelicans rookies shine in comeback win over Lakers

Murphy poured in 21 points (all in the second half) and Jones put up a career-high six steals to go along with 16 points. Alvarado had a quiet game on the stat sheet (four points, one rebound, two assists), but ended the night stealing the headlines, as he signed a four-year contract to stay with the team.

Alvarado’s rise has coincided with the Pelicans’ resurgence since a slow 3-16 start. In the 40 games since Alvarado joined the rotation consistently, the team has posted a 19-21 record, a significant improvement.

The rookie point guard has garnered some attention from national writers like Zach Lowe for his clever steals, and he’s making himself indispensable to the Pelicans’ rotation with his incredible defense – and of course, his shooting:

https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA/status/1490121561004720132

Though Alvarado didn’t steal the show during the Lakers game, the Pelicans’ two drafted rookies stepped up to carry the team to victory.

Jones has been a key piece for New Orleans this season, going from a second-round pick to a consistent starter getting deserved All-Defense buzz (albeit mostly from local media) in just a few short months.

Versus the Lakers, Jones’ defense shined as usual in his six-steal performance, but he pitched in on the offensive end as well, contributing 16 points on an efficient 3-of-7 from deep.

Murphy III was the surprise performer for the Pelicans on Sunday night. He has been kept in check this season by coach Willie Green’s rotations, but he was ready when called this time, chipping in 21 points in 25 minutes.

Murphy’s 25 minutes was his third-highest minute total in a game this season, and he rewarded coach Green with the second 20+ point game of his career.

The youngster’s performances are trending upward as the Pelicans look to achieve a play-in berth. His five highest-scoring games have all happened since the start of February, and in the last ten games, Murphy has been shooting 48 percent from deep in consistent minutes, playing over 10 minutes per game.

This victory over the Lakers puts the Pelicans in the driver’s seat for their play-in hopes. New Orleans now sits half a game ahead of the Lakers in ninth and owns the tiebreaker with one more matchup to go against LA.

It’s been a roller-coaster year for the Pelicans with Zion Williamson’s injury looming over the team for much of the season. After a nightmare start, it’s been the rookies picking up the slack and helping key players Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, and Jonas Valanciunas lead the Pelicans to consistent victories.

With Zion back next season, these rookies will fill out a deep and talented roster that could cause some problems in the West. But with the rookies picking things up at the right time, don’t count out the Pelicans making some play-in noise this year, too.