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Pelicans Spotlight presented by Panini: Zion Williamson

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Jim Eichenhofer

Among the 11 veteran players on the main 2019-20 New Orleans roster, center Jahlil Okafor has perhaps the most vivid memories from his first NBA game, which took place Oct. 28, 2015, in Boston. Perhaps not coincidentally, he also objectively enjoyed the most productive debut performance on the squad, going for 26 points and seven rebounds as a Philadelphia 76ers starter.

“We came up short,” Okafor said, alluding to the loss, “but individually, I felt like I played well and had a lot of fun. I remember in the first quarter I scored a couple times in a row and all of my teammates on the bench were standing up and cheering me on. You always remember your first game.”

While that may be true for Okafor and Zion Williamson after the latter’s 22-point performance vs. San Antonio on Wednesday, it’s definitely not the case in every instance.

“I think my first basket was against the Spurs, a three,” said forward Darius Miller, who was correct in that fact from Oct. 31, 2012. “But that’s all I really remember. I think it was Jason Smith who passed it to me on the left wing, if I’m not mistaken. I really don’t remember much else.”

Pelicans center Derrick Favors did not remember the specifics of his first NBA basket or the opponent from an Oct. 27, 2010, game, but as a New Jersey rookie he got on the scoresheet with a free throw against Detroit (Favors thought it was Boston).

What actually stands out most to Favors nearly 10 years later is how focused he was on minimizing any potential “rookie mistakes” he made, while playing for former NBA point guard Avery Johnson.

“I remember being excited and nervous at the same time,” Favors said, smiling. “Avery Johnson was the head coach then, so I wanted to make sure I wasn’t (called out) on film the next day. He was a defensive guy. I wanted to make sure I did everything correctly defensively and played with a lot of energy.”

Brandon Ingram had a similar experience in terms of how his debut affected him mentally.

“There were a lot of jitters,” Ingram said of an Oct. 26, 2016, game between the Lakers and Rockets in Staples Center. “But I had a good vet around me, Lou Williams, to help me. It was fun. I think we played against the Rockets and my first basket was a three. It was fun getting my feet wet on an NBA floor.”

Even though it was only three-plus years ago, Ingram could not remember whether Los Angeles won the game (it did, surprising Houston 120-114), but correctly recalled that his first NBA points came on a three-point shot. After scoring nine points against the Rockets, Ingram’s first double-digit scoring game did not occur until his sixth appearance.

Kenrich Williams had to wait a while before tallying a basket, more than two weeks into the ’18-19 regular season. “It was a three against the Trail Blazers in Portland, toward the end of the game,” he remembered. Williams more fondly recalls his NBA debut in Houston on opening night, partly because of who was on the opposing team. “It was a surreal moment,” the Texas native said of debuting in Toyota Center. “(The Rockets) had Carmelo (Anthony) then and I grew up watching him, so it was surreal to play against him.”

Like “Kenny Hustle,” wing E’Twaun Moore’s first-game memories have as much to do with the venue as what actually happened on the court. In more ways than one, Moore had an extremely odd NBA debut. One, it occurred after an NBA lockout; two, it happened on Christmas, which was opening day for that abbreviated ’11-12 campaign; three, the game took place in historic Madison Square Garden; four, he logged just four seconds of action, as a Boston defensive substitution at the end of the second quarter.

Also like Williams, Moore’s initial game memories are tied to a certain multi-time All-Star who now plays for Portland.

“I had been (playing) overseas for a couple months,” Moore said of the lockout. “Then boom, my first game is on national TV and in Madison Square Garden. Carmelo went crazy and had like 35 points, hitting everything. I was like, ‘So, this is what the talent level is like in the NBA?’ ”

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Pelicans veteran players have varied memories from their NBA debut games

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Pelicans.com

New Orleans Pelicans guard Frank Jackson sustained a right foot fracture (fifth metatarsal), it was determined following examination by Pelicans Director of Medical Services/Head Team Physician Dr. Misty Suri. The injury occurred while Jackson was training in New Orleans.

Jackson underwent successful surgery today by Dr. Martin O’Malley in New York, NY and is expected to miss approximately 3-4 months. Jackson previously underwent a procedure in May to correct a stress reaction in the same location.

Originally selected by Charlotte with the 31st overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft out of Duke University, Jackson was acquired by New Orleans in exchange for the draft rights to Dwayne Bacon (40th overall) and cash considerations.

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2017 NBA Rookie Shoot: Frank Jackson

A year later, New Orleans’ 2016 draft class has already helped yield a perennial All-Star, in the form of a trade that brought DeMarcus Cousins from Sacramento, which reportedly coveted Pelicans lottery pick Buddy Hield. The other member of last year’s two-player New Orleans draft crop may not provide dividends as quickly, but the potential is there down the road for Cheick Diallo to become a frontcourt contributor.

After playing sparingly during his one college season at Kansas (just 202 minutes), Diallo spent 2016-17 shuttling between New Orleans and the D-League, gaining valuable experience at the lower level. Diallo played a total of 724 minutes in the D-League for three different teams, finishing with per-game averages of 15.0 points and 8.5 rebounds. That learning experience appeared to pay off late in the NBA season, when Diallo posted a double-double on back-to-back nights to close ’16-17. Overall, when Diallo played 20-plus minutes – which happened in five games – he averaged 13.4 points and 10.6 rebounds.

“Cheick is one of those players who just needs experience,” Alvin Gentry said in his season-closing press conference. “There are going to be situations where he does a lot of great things, but there are going to be situations where he makes a bunch of mistakes, because he’s a young player. He didn’t play at all at Kansas, really. We sent him down to the D-League and he did a good job there.

“He’s one of those kids where it’s going to be very difficult for him to fail, because of the work ethic he has and the attentiveness he has for trying to get better and details. It may take a little while – he’s not a guy who’s going to jump off the screen and all of a sudden be doing this, but I think from a process of learning and getting better, he’s going to do that, because he’s going to put in the work every single day.”

NBA experience: 1 seasons (1 with Pelicans)  ||  Games played/started: 17/0  ||  Age: 20

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2016-17 Pelicans Season Review: Cheick Diallo

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