On the same day ESPN.com published its annual NBA Future Power Rankings, the New Orleans Pelicans could’ve simply submitted video from Tuesday’s win over Dallas to make a case that they deserve a higher placing on that list. The Worldwide Leader in Sports ranked New Orleans at No. 11 among the league’s 30 teams in future potential, but in ESPN’s defense, that was before the network saw the Pelicans post a 113-111 victory against the Mavericks, despite being severely shorthanded.
New Orleans (3-1) took on underdog status Tuesday after Zion Williamson, 22, Herb Jones, 24, and Brandon Ingram, 25, were all ruled out due to injuries, but the Pelicans demonstrated that their young talent goes well beyond some of the roster’s bigger names. Jose Alvarado, 24, set the tone vs. Dallas by scoring nine first-quarter points, staking New Orleans to a 40-point period, while fellow second-year pro Trey Murphy, 22, erupted for 22 points overall on perfect shooting from the field (8/8, including 4/4 on three-pointers). Joining Alvarado and Murphy in making his first start of 2022-23, third-year wing Naji Marshall, 24, drew the unenviable defensive assignment of tracking Luka Doncic, and scored 15 points on 6/9 shooting. For good measure, 19-year-old rookie Dyson Daniels – who’d only logged three minutes of playing time in the previous three games – responded in a big way to his first major opportunity, delivering 11 points, three steals and a block in 22 minutes, going 4/5 from the field.
Game Recap: Pelicans 113, Mavericks 111 - Oct. 25, 2022
“It was a team effort. Everyone stepped up to play,” Daniels said. “Obviously we don’t want guys going down (with injuries), but we’ve got a deep roster and people step up when they need to. Everyone played together, played hard, played the right way and we got the win.”
“Depth, depth, depth,” said reserve forward/center Larry Nance Jr. (11 points), one of eight Pelicans in double-digit scoring, tying a franchise record. “This team has talent in abundance. We were missing two guys who can go get you 30 (points) on any given night in (Williamson) and (Ingram). And another guy who can keep you from getting 30 in Herb. We were missing a lot.”
“It’s just next-man mentality,” Murphy said of the Pelicans effectively compensating for roughly 50 points per game being sidelined Tuesday. “Guys are willing to step up, and we have a lot of guys on our team and a lot of depth. It just shows that we’re a team that’s resilient. That’s what I said last year, and it’s carrying over to this year.”
Willie Green in the Pelicans locker room postgame after win vs Mavericks
It’s uncertain how long Ingram (concussion), Williamson (hip) and Jones (knee) will be out of action, with New Orleans set to embark on a three-game Pacific Division trip, visiting Phoenix on Friday, followed by one Los Angeles game apiece against the Clippers (Sunday) and Lakers (Wednesday, Nov. 2). In what turned into a 48-minute battle vs. Dallas that came down to a misfire at the buzzer on a deep three by Doncic, the Pelicans demonstrated their competitiveness, even under less than ideal circumstances. Even if they must rely on players to contribute more than they ever have in previous situations.
“Last year’s run into the playoffs was maturing at super-speed for some of these guys,” Nance said of the team’s young players. “Jose, Murph, Herbo, the rookies getting to see that level of basketball, and now coming into this season and playing games like this, they’ve seen it before at the highest level. That kind of experience is massive. If you look at teams that go deep in the playoffs, it’s the teams that have depth and bodies to throw at you. Injuries and attrition are going to happen in an NBA season, but if you have guys who can step in and fill that void, it’s major.”