April 7, 2025 • 35 mins
On the latest New Orleans Pelicans Podcast for Monday, April 7, 2025, Pelicans.com’s Jim Eichenhofer and Gus Kattengell are joined by Pelicans TV Studio Host/Reporter Erin Summers.
Summers recaps the Pelicans' recent West Coast trip plus the game against the Bucks as she points out how some of the young players on the team have seized their opportunity. Can a rookie be the team MVP for this season?
Later, Jim gives us his player of the week, player to watch for, and this week’s spoiler scale for the upcoming games.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome in to the New Orleans Pelicans Podcast, the official
podcast of your New Orleans Pelicans, a podcast dedicated to
everything you need to know about the squad here from players, coaches, broadcasters,
and those who cover the NBA on a daily basis.
It's time to flock up. The New Orleans Pelicans Podcast
(00:29):
starts right now.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Hello and welcome to New Orleans Pelicans Podcast, official podcast
of your New Orleans Pelicans. Gus Catton go with you
with Aaron Summers Pelicans team reporters song on reporter extraordinary.
I just added that, by the way, I appreciate it.
I like that. Yeah, not that we miss well, we
actually do miss a little bit from Jamaike and offer
out of town hoo be back. But you know, he
couldn't stay away that long. Don't worry. You will still
(00:56):
have your player of the week player to watch and
the ever so interesting spoiler scale he is coming later
on in the podcast. He couldn't stay away that far.
But Aaron, we got a lot to talk about in
terms of the fact that we don't have many games left,
which is incredible. We talked about it before we started
the game last night against Milwaukee. We're now inside of
(01:17):
five games. Now just four games are made in the season.
It's crazy to think about that, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
It is wild this season. It seemed like now that
we're here at the end point, it flew by. But
you know, at points throughout this season it dragged a little.
I mean, there were times where we didn't have a
lot of people playing, and that was early in the
season and we didn't know how things were going to
turn out. And now we're here at the end stretch,
(01:41):
and we've been seeing a lot of really great performances
from some of the rookies, some younger guys that are
getting opportunities here, and that's definitely been fun.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
No doubt. Look, the last two games before last night
we're on the road. We'll get into that here in
a quick second, but it does start with last night
on eleven one to oh seven was the final Aeron.
Once again another game at least within the last week
where the Pels played hard. You spoke about some of
the younger players that are getting opportunities to show what
they can do, and look, it was fun or is entertaining.
(02:10):
They fought hard, and I think that's all you can
really want right now from a Pells fan standpoint, but
I think from the coaching staff, you have to be
happy with what's happening right now. Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
You go from two games on the West Coast trip
where you had seventeen turnovers in both games, and then
last night against the Bucks you only have twelve. So
that's an improvement right there, and that's players getting more
comfortable playing around each other. They have now for the
past week, getting a little bit more time on the
court together. Some of these new players like Antonio Reeves
(02:40):
who's been in and now the starting lineup, Keon Brooks
junior Lester Kenones had a great game last night, played
a season high twenty five minutes, finish the game, matching
his career high and scoring with seventeen. He went six
of ten from the floor, so that was fun to see.
And Elfred Payton continues to be that distributor. Bruce Brown
(03:01):
was out there just throwing dimes last night as well.
So you definitely are seeing this team start to gel
a little bit better. Although still shorthanded. The Bucks also shorthanded,
but I think the Pelicans more aggressively so and for
them to be able to hang for a good three
quarters and at times lead. This, you know, was a
good effort by them, and I think you have to
(03:23):
be impressed.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah, no doubt. You mentioned Bruce Brown nine assists for him.
It's interesting because most nights you sit there and be like, well,
that person didn't score, didn't have a good game. But
Alfred Payton didn't have any points, but he had those
ten assists and to your point, nineteen assists between those
two players, Aaron, you can't have assist if players don't
make shots. So you had a handful of players in
double figures for the Pelicans. Four of the starting five
had double figures, Brown with sixteen, key On Brooks thirteen,
(03:47):
Eve me C had eighteen, and Antonio Rus twenty three.
He also had double digit scoring from Carlo and Lester
Kenyunion Street eleven and seventeen. So you know, to your point, look,
guys are out there performing and playing. It's just as
a matter of you know, trying to put it all together.
But I think there's a lot of positives to take
into that, which we will get into in a quick second.
But overall, last night, I think I gotta be happy
(04:09):
with what I'm seeing from the coaching staff development wise.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Yeah, you mentioned it, too. It was a fun game
to watch. You they were competitive, and they came out
which is weird for some reason in the third quarter.
Now they have come out and given an extra push
and at times, you know, taken the lead there in
the third quarter of action. It was what they did
against the Clippers and in LA against the Lakers. You know,
they have had really good third quarters, which you would
(04:33):
weren't able to say throughout the earlier part of the season.
So again, there's areas that this team is clearly improving
it no doubt.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
All right, well, let's get into that a little bit
more specific here, Aaron As. Let's just start with the
West Coast trip right, Clippers and Lakers jim a week ago.
In the spoiler scale, they were high and the Lakers
game was ten. Because it's obvious you look at the
standings for the Clippers, for the Lakers, they needed to
win those games against the Pelicans. Just your thoughts when
you take a look at the way this team played
(04:59):
again the Clippers and the way this team played against
the Lakers.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
I think this was a huge moment for Jose Alvarado
in his role as a starting point guard. He bounced
back from a performance he was not happy about Sunday
against the Charlotte Hornets, and he averaged twenty two points,
shot forty percent from outside, seven and a half assists
in those two games on the West Coast, So that
in itself was good to see from Jose really taking
(05:26):
charge leading this team. He said he wants to bring
the energy out. The people around him follow suit, and
that's what you've seen happen is he has been that
spark shoot. He scored eighteen straight points against the Lakers
Friday night to get things going, and he is somebody
that I think that they might have missed a little
bit when you take a look at Sunday's game against
(05:47):
the Bucks, because they needed just a little bit more
juice and that could have been the difference maker there
if Jose was on the court. So I think his
play has been impressive. But it's been the way that
Eve Mecie's bound back from a slump earlier in this season,
kind of hitting his rookie wall. But Antonio Reeves has
been completely solid, so is Carlo Matkovich. He just continues
(06:09):
to improve each time he's on the court, scoring in
double digits both games and then really adding along with
his attacking the glass. And that was another thing that
stood out in all of the games was the Pelicans'
effort on the boards. Even last night they had forty
eight rebounds. So I think you have to be excited
(06:31):
about the potential that you're seeing from some of these players.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Competitive and exciting is what stands out to me in
that West Coast Trip Knows two games and that they
were fun to watch. And man, you know, obviously we
cut the highlights for pregame and just all kinds of
different things that we do here from Bell's Weekly to
the podcast, they were fun. I mean, there were a
lot of legit above the rim, as you mentioned, whether
(06:55):
it's Reeves and me see and putbacks, and I do
think you started a very good point. None of that's
happening unless you have the conductor right on the courts
Chris would like to be known as. But let's I
want to Delvin a little bit ont Jose as you're
talking about it. What an interesting I guess career for
(07:16):
him since he's been with the Pels. What I mean
by that is he starts here and I don't mean
this in a bad way, right, but he's Oh, it's
a nice story. I mean, look at look at him.
He's got some energy. He's funny, scrappy, he's small, he
gets the crowd going. That's awesome. The GTA thing that evolves. Oh,
look at him. He can get some steals. Okay, look
he can maybe you know, hit a shot every now
(07:36):
and then. And then we saw that in Nashville, and
we saw it to start the season. We made comments
that when he was leading James Morego's second unit versus
the starters, it wasn't hey, we're going to give you
a workout. He was trying to win those sessions. Yeah,
he took ownership of that. He became a team leader.
I thought this year, and we go back to what
(07:59):
you were talking about in the pregame yesterday about his
comments after that Sunday about this is a learning experience
for him. He loves it. The money that's starting point
guards in the NBA make he gets it now. It's hard.
I love seeing the growth of this player to where
he's a nice piece on this team to I think
he's one of the most valuable foundational pieces moving forward,
(08:21):
don't you.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
It's the self awareness for me for Jose this season,
because yes, he had a great story. Things just seemed
to click for him once he got into the NBA.
I mean, he had a great run at Georgia Tech,
carried them to an ACC championship and was the defensive
player of the Year in the ACC. Like he fought
for everything that he had undrafted. Here, he ends up
(08:44):
getting a contract at the end of the season so
he can get into that playoff run with the Pels,
and he has made the most of his opportunities and
gets paid. And at that point he could think that
I belong here like this, I made it, this is it,
and just be overly confident. But he this season has
(09:06):
really stepped back and taken a look to your point
of what it actually takes to not only play, but
to play at a high level and then reach another
level here in the NBA so you can stick around
and continue to get paid. And he's realizing now what
it takes to be a starter in the NBA versus
that juice guy off the bench, and I think it
(09:29):
hit him pretty hard, but he I got to give
him props for again the self awareness to say, man,
maybe there are some more things that I need to
work on in order to improve my longevity in this
league and be more of an impact when I'm on
the court.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
And look, this wasn't and again I'm not being disrespectful.
It was against the Hornets. The dude drop twenty seven
at the Lakers at their arena, against Lebron, against Luca,
against Austin Reeves. So I think that's the thing that
I really tak got it at West Coast Trip two
as well, they weren't playing the G league team for
the Clippers of the Lakers, for lack of a better
(10:07):
phrasing of the Pels are using their G league team.
H it's a competing which again makes me feel good
as Apels. I guess fan too. That To wrap up,
I guess the hose eight thing. To me, it's I
don't know eron, you know a lot better than I
do when you follow the stats because they're smarter than me.
But uh, look and fifty one assists to seventy five turnovers.
Again to me, oh, it's cute. He knocks down a
(10:28):
couple of threes or two. You might have a game
or two where he scores double figures. I think this
year you're seeing the development in the start of an
all around game and then when you think of the
stats to turn over to assist to turnover comparison, that
just speaks volumes to me of the growth of a player.
I don't know, it seems to me like it's a
good ratio.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
No, he's definitely made that a point of emphasis as
a starter this season. He's averaging five point eight assists
per game, so nearly six and only turning in over
two times. So again, that ratio there is pretty good.
He's only averaging thirteen and a half points overall because
he did start some earlier in the season, but of late,
you know he's hitting twenty seven, seventeen, ten, twelve. You
(11:09):
know he's consistently double digits and providing an impact as
far as the assisco because he had ten against the Clippers,
five against the Lakers. You know, you've seen him up
at eleven eight nine, So he's doing more as far
as the all around game goes, and not just that
gimmick that you see trying to steal an inbounds pass.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Right now, And I think that's a great way to
put it to where you know he's in the same politely,
he's not playing with Zion and CJ and Trey and
Herb and Dijon Daan when he's starting. Right when he's starting,
he's not He's starting for a reason, so the guys
around him are that it look I kind of joked
about it in a good way, but it is the
(11:54):
G League essentially taking on the Lakers and the Clippers
in the Milwaukee Bucks. So that kind of leads into
my next question here which Hell's player would call him
rookie or young player from Birmingham. Perhaps it's taken the
most advantage of this opportunity on the minutes.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Yeah, I think overall the season and we'll get into
this in a little bit, Misi has absolutely taken advantage
of this opportunity that he was handed in the first
week of the season because of other injuries Trey Murphy
that changed the starting lineup, et cetera, and he gets
thrown in. But of late, I would say Antonio Reeves
has stepped in and made a huge impact on this
(12:32):
team and shown you what he's capable of. He's shown
you that he's ready, he's not afraid of the competition,
the moment, or to take the shot. And in the
month of March alone, he was twenty four of forty
four from outside, which is fifty five percent. It's a
pretty dang good clip for a player who spent most
of the season in Birmingham and then gets thrust into
(12:53):
these minutes again where he is going to be a
focal point because there's not a lot of shooters around
him and he's still knocking down the shots. What's even
more impressive is the way he can hang on the
defensive end. He has been great, and Coach Green has
highlighted that several times that his ability on defense has
(13:13):
been what's really taken him to another level because you
can't count him out on either end of the floor.
You know, we know he's a scorer, but he's somebody
that's going to bother you and can lock people down
defensively as well.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
And I think I mean a reference to it in
our broadcast yesterday, Aaron, you and I get that opportunity
every summer, last couple of summers, to you know, call
the summer league games, and I get it. It's not
a lot of fan first sometimes for Pels fans because
you don't have you know, Zion and other zo's, but
those minutes and those things matter, and it's interesting, right
because Carlo had one of those two games, and you
spoke to him after the game about his growth of
(13:48):
what he can do. Now look at him this year,
Antonio Reeves. I think it took two games where I
kept looking at you during a break. I'm like, I
like that guy. It's just there was games where he
took over the point guard defense. I'm like, you know,
this is a Willie Green guy. He's tough, doesn't shy
from contact. I didn't expect him to be making the
threes that he did. But then again, we forget one
(14:09):
of the things you brought up in those broadcast. He
only led Kentucky in scoring Kentucky. Yeah, pretty good school.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
Right, No, he did a great job in college. He's
taken on that knowledge. But it's also his work ethic
because he is in the gym every night shooting hundreds
and hundreds of shots still and he's working on being
more consistent and he prides himself on that and it's
showing on the court. But it's also his basketball IQ,
(14:39):
the way that he studies the game, because you see
some of the moves that he makes, baseline cuts around
the underneath the basket. The way he's able to show
his athleticism maneuver for an open, more open look underneath
than what you thought. I mean, he knows when to drive,
when to pass, when to shoot, and those are all
(15:00):
things and he's going to continue to improve on over
the summer and I'm excited about what he can be
for this team in the future.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Yeah, I think it's interesting you say that because you
know better than anyone with what you do. You get
to have some relationships in talking to players during the
games and after games and interviewing them. It's not the
easiest thing to do to wait your turn to understand
I still have to learn. I feel like I could
play but go down. And I bring that up because
(15:30):
to me, like the poster player for this accepting and
development is Trey Murphy. Right, guy can play, go to
Birmingham for a bit, come back, and he's talked about
it that his rookie year was hard and it's tough
to do that. Along those lines, Antonio Reeves not getting
a lot of minutes, went to Birmingham a little bit
getting the opportunity here for whatever reason, injuries perhaps, but look,
(15:53):
Willie Green said it. If somebody's injuriesn't happen, some of
these guys don't take advantage. You have to be ready
for that. And now we're sitting here talking and I'm
texting some other people that cover the team training cam.
Next is going to be interesting, right, I mean it's
going to be interesting because you're seeing a lot of
these guys. They can play, so I know it's to
(16:13):
me it's going to be very fun to kind of see.
But give credit right there in Tannry Reeves. You know
better than anybody how hard that is that process your
rookie year.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Yeah, And it's funny because talking to Antonio after the
game last night, you're asking him, Man, you've been playing
so well, do you want things to really end here
in four games or you want to keep keep it rolling?
And he's like, whow, I don't know's it has been
a long season still going back and forth between Birmingham
and what it takes on you mentally and physically, the travel,
(16:41):
the uncertainty that the drive, the work you're putting in
outside of that. So I think I think he's showing
us what's there. But yeah, I think he's ready for
a little reprieve and maybe to work on some things,
take a little break, and then really hit the ground
run in when training camp comes.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
So I agree with you to means Aantonio Reeves because
again to the point what he means. I mean, he's
a first round pick and we thought we'd see him
be involved, but not that. And kudos him becase we're
gonna get him in a quick sec honorable mention. Kem
Brooks Junior.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
When we sat there for Vegas that first practice, you know,
sitting in the bleachers and we're looking him like, who
is that guy? I mean, that guy looks thick, you know.
I mean, chisel doesn't look like I do when I
work out. He's just he looks like that.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
Right.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
We talked about it and he didn't play that much
or at times in a summer league. I walked out
of Vegas thinking of Antonio Reeves and Carlo and Eve.
Right when you look at where he's at right now,
I don't know what his future is, but it's not
a bad thing. When the head coach says he has
an NBA body, he has a good game, the guy's playing, well,
(17:47):
that's somebody that's probably one of those sneaky players where
are like, hey, I know no one's looking at me here,
but these are my minutes and I'm gonna go take
And what do you think of what ke On Brooks
Junior has been able to do?
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Yeah, KP grabbed his first double double last night. He
hacked the glass and after the game and talking to him,
he said that that was something that he was trying
to do more of that he was told to do
more of. You have the body, you have the length,
you have the athleticism, go get the ball. And so
he made a point of doing that more in last
(18:18):
night's game and it paid off dividends with the ten
rebounds that he had. So he's working on different areas
of his game. He's excited about the opportunity's gotten here.
He said it hasn't hit him yet that he started
his first game in the NBA and that he's playing
against Lebron and all these other guys night in and
(18:38):
night out. Now that it's probably gonna hit him in
the offseason when he sits down and takes a breath.
But right now, his complete focus is on what he
can do on the court, and he is continually showing
you more and more of his game. As he said,
he's getting more comfortable on the court. He's just kind
of settling in a little bit more now and it's
(18:58):
playing more free. You having fun out there, and it
looks good. It's fun to watch.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
I love that enthusiasm. I think we can all kind
of relate to it. Right. I can imagine next week
when the weekends and that first round of the playoffs starts,
and they're the Lakers that are clearly like dude, I
was just playing, you know, in LA against them, and
and to your point, there's Luke and Lebron I'm trying
to guard. I'm getting a board and you know, no, no,
(19:24):
you know, the organ in the crowd it is. It's
incredible when you think about it, and it's awesome to
see that. Because you're around those players. I get to
see them a little bit as well. It is a
good group. And to your point, you're not dropping the numbers.
You're dropping if you're not ready and you're not putting
in that work. So that leads us to our last part.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Here.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
One are those players that we've been talking about. Obviously
that's taking advantage of the extra minutes and playing has
been eased me see, and the team kind of making
sure the rest of the NBA we know it but
the rest of the NBA knows that he's had a
very successful rookie campaign and once I'm on one of
those all teams, when you look at eve Mec, can
(20:02):
I make the case an argument? And we'll maybe bring
up the candidacy of the different candidates over the next
couple of podcasts, But can I make a case that
Eve Mec is this year's Pelicans team MVP?
Speaker 3 (20:16):
I think that's definitely something that we could consider, because
do you want me to start?
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (20:22):
Okay, no one on this team has had a more
impressive year than eve Mec. Prior to playing this year,
he had only had one year of collegiate basketball. He
didn't even get to the United States until twenty twenty,
and at that point he did not know English. So
not only was he trying to learn the game of basketball,
he didn't know how to communicate to understand the game
(20:44):
the proper way. So his learning curve was vast. You know,
he had a lot of room to grow, but he
clearly has the body type. He comes from basketball pedigree,
both of his parents playing for the national team and camera,
so he had an idea of what he was supposed
to do, but understanding the technical side of the game.
(21:08):
The IQ, as far as basketball goes, very intelligent person,
which is why he's been able to take leaps and
bound so quickly. He had a long way to go,
and when he was drafted here he was looked at
as a developmental player. And I remember at the beginning
of the year, Bryce and Graham, the GM here said
that hopefully his learning curve was short, because that's what
(21:31):
happened when he got to Baylor. He was supposed to
red shirt, and he immediately started playing because he was
much better than they He quickly got better than they
thought he was going to be. So it just showed
that he picks things up really quickly.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
You know.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
It's a tribute to his work ethic, his maturity, his
ability to learn and apply that to the court. And
we saw that firsthand at Summer League, where from game
one to Game five he was a lot better, you know,
just the space and the understanding where he's supposed to
be on the floor. We've seen that improve so much
since the beginning of the year. He was getting stuck
(22:11):
down there under the basket a lot, not knowing where
to go, who to cover, how to move in tandem
with the players around him. Physically, he's still growing. I
think filling out not something he can work on in
the off season. But for him to get thrown into
a starting role second game of the season and the
way he handled it has been extremely impressive. And now
(22:33):
the fact that he's at thirteen double doubles on the season,
he's a top first in blocks per game, rebounds per
game and rookies, and top ten in points per game.
He's definitely gone above and beyond what we thought he
would at this point, and I'm excited to see how
(22:53):
much more he can grow with an off season where
he can take the time to rest and recovery, evaluate
his game a little bit more, and then attack the
game in different ways.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
And you're excellent on that. I would just literally like
highlight that or dress that up with to your point.
More than anything, their expectation levels, I think is why
I'm making him a candidate, right, I mean, if I
had to give you my top three, it's probably it's
not Probably a lot of people kind of think that
way to me. I mean, look, Cose Alvarado, we just
talked about what he's been able to do, right, being consistent,
(23:29):
growing in his game, becoming a team leader. All that
Trey Murphy obviously season coming to an end because of
an injury, but he went from hey, let's see if
he can be a really nice piece to we all
would have fun. Let's be honest, whether it's the water
cooler or the hallways. Can he be a starter? Can
he push? You know what? Where's his He's a starter.
(23:50):
He's an NBA starter and star.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
He's the number two on this team behind Zion Williams.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
Right, So I mean that alone probably puts him in
leading contention for Team MVP. But I have to, you know,
make him a candidate. You know, like the NFL Honors Ords,
you know that you have three, right that you have that,
and I put him at three. I honestly do at
least in the top three. Because of that, Nobody expected
this guy is going to be a starter, and it's
(24:18):
almost to me it's an organizational changing rise. And what
I mean by that is going into this offseason, we
need bigs, we need try a small thing. We saw
a small thing didn't work. But you have a guy
who can develop in big so you don't have to
trade assets, you don't have to maybe go out and
try to find a big and free agency. I think
(24:40):
you can develop the bigs you have. Am I wrong
on that? Because that, to me is why he's a
team MVP candidate, because you might have helped me for
making some moves that I might have needed to if
you were maybe a developmental player three four years away.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
I think ive Micia and even Carla Makovic have solidified
a center position here for the next few years. I mean,
maybe you go out and you get somebody who is
a true starter in the league for next season, but
you definitely have the future at your five spot, maybe
(25:17):
even four if they continue to play some of those
taller lineups, which they have started two bigs numerous times.
Is over the past season. You look back to last
night's game, though, and there was a shot that was
just off the baseline fade away that Eve hit and
myself Andrew Lopez Wes Johnson looked at each other and
(25:39):
we're like, wait, he has that in his bag? Where
has that been? Because if you can develop that little
you know, short fade away from the dunker spot like
that is a game changer as well, because then he
doesn't have to get all the way to the hoop
and the way that he's actually been dunking and throwing
it down. Yeah, sometimes he's got to get two hay
(26:00):
on it to make sure that it is successful. But
last night he threw down on one handed dunk, So
I think he's still the evolution of his game is continuing,
and even last night we saw a different level of it.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Well, and it's you know, to your point again, you've
played one year of basketball.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
Yeah, I mean at a high level.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Let's be honest, I like, that is just incredible when
you think about it, When when you can improve that much,
it just gets you. I Mean it's almost like the
Mad Scientists, you know, Jeff or something where you're just
like you can't wait to literally get this guy in
a lab for a couple of years righting stronger, develop
those games and do those things because he's just he
(26:42):
has the one thing that's going to make that possible.
And it's something you've brought up several times in your
reports or in podcasts. Tell him, once he gets it done,
you move on like it's just and that's incredible. That's
that's a huge trait.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
Yeah, he was supposed to go to Stanford and he
wanted to go play basketball, at Baylor and how to
make a deal with his mom that he would go
back and get his degree from Stanford if she would
let him go play, because he felt that would be
better for his basketball career, which seems like it worked
out pretty well for him. Yeah, and I'm sure he
will go back and make right on his deal with
(27:15):
his mom. But I will say, in terms of MVP
for the team, availability has to be a big part
of it. And unfortunately for Trey, he didn't start the
season and didn't end the season. So Eve me c
has really held it down, played the most minutes out
of anybody on this team.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
I was going to say to your point, to conclude
with that, that is another reason you have to put
him in there. We have seen him in games hearin
and because you're on the sideline and you do injury reports,
he gets nicked up in games, he finishes those games. Yeah,
he's gone into the locker room, he's come back out
on the locker room. He gets hurt in one game,
he doesn't miss the next game. He plays the next game.
(27:55):
He may miss a practice, but he plays the next game.
And to your point, on this team, with what we've
seen in the franchise the last couple of years. That's
a massive reason for me to be like, Okay, that's
a that's a foundational piece because he's playing through injuries. Yeah, no,
I'm playing through bumps and bruises.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Just last night, you walked into the locker room and
he's sitting there with his foot in a bucket of ice,
and like the look on his face is like he
is beat up, you know, like he's at the point
where it's been a long season, but he is getting
back out there and he's going to give it a go.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
I love it. It's good stuff. Look, and that I think
that's the hardest part sometimes when we you don't follow
the team or something like that, where I'll get it
every now and then people whether it's the GM or
a restaurant or in line to check out at the
grocery store. Right, oh man, the hells tell you we
got no home? Like huh no, not really, And I
would you agree with that. Look, we're going to do
a year end review here next week with all of
(28:53):
us and give final thoughts. But I do think back
to how we started this conversation. The two games on
the West, the game yesterday. There are some things that
are legit. That was the Lakers jillse drop twenty seven
against Yeah, this was good teams where seeing Cambrooks get
a double double. Like, these are some good teams where
six Pelicans players now second game in a row, you
(29:14):
have double figures, you know. I mean this is legit.
I mean those are legit teams. So you can't that's
not me trying to sugarcoat things. I think it's a
good thing.
Speaker 3 (29:24):
Yeah, And I apologize to some of the fans that
sit behind me because they'll yell and scream and boo
and whatever, and I'll get up and I'll be like, listen,
you see who's out there.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
What do you expect?
Speaker 3 (29:38):
Like they're actually doing a pretty good job, you know.
And I kind of try to nicely put things in perspective, because, yes,
this is not where any of us wanted to be
at this point in the season. But you have to
find the silver lining because it's there this team that,
in general, from the players to the coaching staff, could
have absolutely given up, and you're watching lackluster performance after
(30:02):
lackluster performance every night, and that's not what we're getting.
You're definitely seeing players out there, they're coaching hard in practices,
they are playing hard in games, and I think we're
still getting a fun product, no doubt.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
And I think that's the thing that stands out more
than anything else, that players are taking advantage of it.
And that's that's all you can do. But look again,
there's some fun things that we can wait to see.
But yeah, I'm with you. It's a let's get to
next week and get onto the off season.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
Really, games that matter in that count for sure. Thank
you so much for your time today.
Speaker 3 (30:33):
Absolutely fast job.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
Feeling for Jim, Thank you, thank you. But speaking of Jim,
here he is. You know, we couldn't go with the
entire podcast, what not mister I can offer here is
his normal Monday segment.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
Well, it's a Monday, thankfully, Jim is always our Friday.
It's time for mister Eichenhoffer to give his players of
the week and a player to watch for this week,
which you.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
Got, big guy.
Speaker 4 (31:03):
Well, Mallory, I can't believe this is the last Monday
episode of the season. It's been a lot of peaks
and valleys, but you maintained the same exact energy every
Monday of the season. We are truly appreciative of your consistency. Anyways,
the player of the week is going to be Antonio Reeves.
(31:23):
He averaged fourteen point seven points over the three games.
He led New Orleans and scoring Among the players who
played in all three games. Jose Alvarado also had a
really good week worth mentioning. Played in two of the
three games averaged twenty two points a game. But back
to Reeves, he shot forty five percent from the field
forty percent from three point range, so he continues to
(31:43):
be on fire in red hot from the three point arc.
And by the way, I have mentioned recently that he
had the best three point percentage of any player in
the league since the All Star Break, He's actually second
now Atlanta's Viet Creechy has moved ahead of him at
fifty seven percent, but Antonio Reeves is still shooting fifty
three percent from three point range. Since the All Star Break,
(32:05):
He's twenty seven for fifty one, So an excellent stretch
by the rookie from Kentucky. The player to watch over
the next seven days, Unfortunately, our final seven days of
the season is going to be Eve Mesi. Last week,
in three games, he averaged twelve point three points, eleven
point seven rebounds, one point seven blocks, shot fifty nine
(32:27):
percent from the field, and by the way too, He's
currently sixth on the NBA dot Com Rookie Ladder, the
most recent one that the league's website posted. So I
mean he has a chance to be first team All Rookie.
I mean, based on that, obviously, he would be just
at the beginning of the second team All Rookie. If
Eve is picked for All Rookie, either first team or
(32:49):
second team, he'll be the first Pelicans player to do
that since Herb Jones in twenty twenty two was named
to the All Rookie second Team. So definitely something that
I think is a reason expectation that we should be
seeing Eve get recognition for that at some point over
the next few weeks, whenever the league announces the All
Rookie teams. Lastly, going to spoiler scale, I'll try to
(33:12):
make this brief because I'm working remotely Brooklyn. The game
on Tuesday, I'm gonna give that one a one because
Brooklyn's out of the race. They've been out of playing
contention for a while. The game on Thursday at Milwaukee,
that's a seven because the Pistons and Bucks are in
a very tight race for the five and six seed
in the East Friday night against Miami at home in
(33:33):
the Smoothie King Center. That one, I'm giving an eight
because the Heat are also in a position where they're
going to be in the play in tournament, but they
still have a chance to move up from where they
are and potentially put themselves in a better position. I
think by the time we get to Friday, it'll be
a little bit more clear than it is now. But
I'm guessing that that game is going to be of
significant importance for the Heat and one that they're going
(33:55):
to feel like they really need to get. And then lastly,
Sunday's game the finale home again Okae, I'm giving that
one a three. I would have given it a one
because OKAC really has had the number one seed clinch
for a while and they aren't gonna have a lot
to play for. I wonder if we'll see a lot
of G League players for the Thunder play in that game.
But instead of giving it a one, I went with
(34:15):
a three because Okay, see, there's definitely a high vengeance
factor here. The fact that the Thunder have ended the
Pelicans season a couple times in recent years, whether it
was the playoffs last year or the play in tournament
in the year before. So to review Spoiler Scale Brooklyn
Game one, Milwaukee seven, Miami eight, and OKC three.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
Back to you, Gus all right, our thanks to Jam
and for Aaron for filling in for him. Our next
Pelicans podcast will be on Friday. Until then, we will
see you on the New Orleans Pelicans podcast.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
Thanks for listening to the New Orleans Pelicans Podcast. Join
us three times per week on pelicans dot com, the
Pelicans mobile app, the iHeartRadio app, or where you get
your pun and be sure to give Jim and Guss
a follow on x at Jim Underscore I Can Offer
(35:06):
and Gcat Underscore seventeen. We'll see you next time right
here on the New Orleans Pelicans podcast.
Welcome in to the New Orleans Pelicans Podcast, the official
podcast of your New Orleans Pelicans, a podcast dedicated to
everything you need to know about the squad here from players, coaches, broadcasters,
and those who cover the NBA on a daily basis.
It's time to flock up. The New Orleans Pelicans Podcast
(00:29):
starts right now.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Hello and welcome to New Orleans Pelicans Podcast, official podcast
of your New Orleans Pelicans. Gus Catton go with you
with Aaron Summers Pelicans team reporters song on reporter extraordinary.
I just added that, by the way, I appreciate it.
I like that. Yeah, not that we miss well, we
actually do miss a little bit from Jamaike and offer
out of town hoo be back. But you know, he
couldn't stay away that long. Don't worry. You will still
(00:56):
have your player of the week player to watch and
the ever so interesting spoiler scale he is coming later
on in the podcast. He couldn't stay away that far.
But Aaron, we got a lot to talk about in
terms of the fact that we don't have many games left,
which is incredible. We talked about it before we started
the game last night against Milwaukee. We're now inside of
(01:17):
five games. Now just four games are made in the season.
It's crazy to think about that, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
It is wild this season. It seemed like now that
we're here at the end point, it flew by. But
you know, at points throughout this season it dragged a little.
I mean, there were times where we didn't have a
lot of people playing, and that was early in the
season and we didn't know how things were going to
turn out. And now we're here at the end stretch,
(01:41):
and we've been seeing a lot of really great performances
from some of the rookies, some younger guys that are
getting opportunities here, and that's definitely been fun.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
No doubt. Look, the last two games before last night
we're on the road. We'll get into that here in
a quick second, but it does start with last night
on eleven one to oh seven was the final Aeron.
Once again another game at least within the last week
where the Pels played hard. You spoke about some of
the younger players that are getting opportunities to show what
they can do, and look, it was fun or is entertaining.
(02:10):
They fought hard, and I think that's all you can
really want right now from a Pells fan standpoint, but
I think from the coaching staff, you have to be
happy with what's happening right now. Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
You go from two games on the West Coast trip
where you had seventeen turnovers in both games, and then
last night against the Bucks you only have twelve. So
that's an improvement right there, and that's players getting more
comfortable playing around each other. They have now for the
past week, getting a little bit more time on the
court together. Some of these new players like Antonio Reeves
(02:40):
who's been in and now the starting lineup, Keon Brooks
junior Lester Kenones had a great game last night, played
a season high twenty five minutes, finish the game, matching
his career high and scoring with seventeen. He went six
of ten from the floor, so that was fun to see.
And Elfred Payton continues to be that distributor. Bruce Brown
(03:01):
was out there just throwing dimes last night as well.
So you definitely are seeing this team start to gel
a little bit better. Although still shorthanded. The Bucks also shorthanded,
but I think the Pelicans more aggressively so and for
them to be able to hang for a good three
quarters and at times lead. This, you know, was a
good effort by them, and I think you have to
(03:23):
be impressed.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah, no doubt. You mentioned Bruce Brown nine assists for him.
It's interesting because most nights you sit there and be like, well,
that person didn't score, didn't have a good game. But
Alfred Payton didn't have any points, but he had those
ten assists and to your point, nineteen assists between those
two players, Aaron, you can't have assist if players don't
make shots. So you had a handful of players in
double figures for the Pelicans. Four of the starting five
had double figures, Brown with sixteen, key On Brooks thirteen,
(03:47):
Eve me C had eighteen, and Antonio Rus twenty three.
He also had double digit scoring from Carlo and Lester
Kenyunion Street eleven and seventeen. So you know, to your point, look,
guys are out there performing and playing. It's just as
a matter of you know, trying to put it all together.
But I think there's a lot of positives to take
into that, which we will get into in a quick second.
But overall, last night, I think I gotta be happy
(04:09):
with what I'm seeing from the coaching staff development wise.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Yeah, you mentioned it, too. It was a fun game
to watch. You they were competitive, and they came out
which is weird for some reason in the third quarter.
Now they have come out and given an extra push
and at times, you know, taken the lead there in
the third quarter of action. It was what they did
against the Clippers and in LA against the Lakers. You know,
they have had really good third quarters, which you would
(04:33):
weren't able to say throughout the earlier part of the season.
So again, there's areas that this team is clearly improving
it no doubt.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
All right, well, let's get into that a little bit
more specific here, Aaron As. Let's just start with the
West Coast trip right, Clippers and Lakers jim a week ago.
In the spoiler scale, they were high and the Lakers
game was ten. Because it's obvious you look at the
standings for the Clippers, for the Lakers, they needed to
win those games against the Pelicans. Just your thoughts when
you take a look at the way this team played
(04:59):
again the Clippers and the way this team played against
the Lakers.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
I think this was a huge moment for Jose Alvarado
in his role as a starting point guard. He bounced
back from a performance he was not happy about Sunday
against the Charlotte Hornets, and he averaged twenty two points,
shot forty percent from outside, seven and a half assists
in those two games on the West Coast, So that
in itself was good to see from Jose really taking
(05:26):
charge leading this team. He said he wants to bring
the energy out. The people around him follow suit, and
that's what you've seen happen is he has been that
spark shoot. He scored eighteen straight points against the Lakers
Friday night to get things going, and he is somebody
that I think that they might have missed a little
bit when you take a look at Sunday's game against
(05:47):
the Bucks, because they needed just a little bit more
juice and that could have been the difference maker there
if Jose was on the court. So I think his
play has been impressive. But it's been the way that
Eve Mecie's bound back from a slump earlier in this season,
kind of hitting his rookie wall. But Antonio Reeves has
been completely solid, so is Carlo Matkovich. He just continues
(06:09):
to improve each time he's on the court, scoring in
double digits both games and then really adding along with
his attacking the glass. And that was another thing that
stood out in all of the games was the Pelicans'
effort on the boards. Even last night they had forty
eight rebounds. So I think you have to be excited
(06:31):
about the potential that you're seeing from some of these players.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Competitive and exciting is what stands out to me in
that West Coast Trip Knows two games and that they
were fun to watch. And man, you know, obviously we
cut the highlights for pregame and just all kinds of
different things that we do here from Bell's Weekly to
the podcast, they were fun. I mean, there were a
lot of legit above the rim, as you mentioned, whether
(06:55):
it's Reeves and me see and putbacks, and I do
think you started a very good point. None of that's
happening unless you have the conductor right on the courts
Chris would like to be known as. But let's I
want to Delvin a little bit ont Jose as you're
talking about it. What an interesting I guess career for
(07:16):
him since he's been with the Pels. What I mean
by that is he starts here and I don't mean
this in a bad way, right, but he's Oh, it's
a nice story. I mean, look at look at him.
He's got some energy. He's funny, scrappy, he's small, he
gets the crowd going. That's awesome. The GTA thing that evolves. Oh,
look at him. He can get some steals. Okay, look
he can maybe you know, hit a shot every now
(07:36):
and then. And then we saw that in Nashville, and
we saw it to start the season. We made comments
that when he was leading James Morego's second unit versus
the starters, it wasn't hey, we're going to give you
a workout. He was trying to win those sessions. Yeah,
he took ownership of that. He became a team leader.
I thought this year, and we go back to what
(07:59):
you were talking about in the pregame yesterday about his
comments after that Sunday about this is a learning experience
for him. He loves it. The money that's starting point
guards in the NBA make he gets it now. It's hard.
I love seeing the growth of this player to where
he's a nice piece on this team to I think
he's one of the most valuable foundational pieces moving forward,
(08:21):
don't you.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
It's the self awareness for me for Jose this season,
because yes, he had a great story. Things just seemed
to click for him once he got into the NBA.
I mean, he had a great run at Georgia Tech,
carried them to an ACC championship and was the defensive
player of the Year in the ACC. Like he fought
for everything that he had undrafted. Here, he ends up
(08:44):
getting a contract at the end of the season so
he can get into that playoff run with the Pels,
and he has made the most of his opportunities and
gets paid. And at that point he could think that
I belong here like this, I made it, this is it,
and just be overly confident. But he this season has
(09:06):
really stepped back and taken a look to your point
of what it actually takes to not only play, but
to play at a high level and then reach another
level here in the NBA so you can stick around
and continue to get paid. And he's realizing now what
it takes to be a starter in the NBA versus
that juice guy off the bench, and I think it
(09:29):
hit him pretty hard, but he I got to give
him props for again the self awareness to say, man,
maybe there are some more things that I need to
work on in order to improve my longevity in this
league and be more of an impact when I'm on
the court.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
And look, this wasn't and again I'm not being disrespectful.
It was against the Hornets. The dude drop twenty seven
at the Lakers at their arena, against Lebron, against Luca,
against Austin Reeves. So I think that's the thing that
I really tak got it at West Coast Trip two
as well, they weren't playing the G league team for
the Clippers of the Lakers, for lack of a better
(10:07):
phrasing of the Pels are using their G league team.
H it's a competing which again makes me feel good
as Apels. I guess fan too. That To wrap up,
I guess the hose eight thing. To me, it's I
don't know eron, you know a lot better than I
do when you follow the stats because they're smarter than me.
But uh, look and fifty one assists to seventy five turnovers.
Again to me, oh, it's cute. He knocks down a
(10:28):
couple of threes or two. You might have a game
or two where he scores double figures. I think this
year you're seeing the development in the start of an
all around game and then when you think of the
stats to turn over to assist to turnover comparison, that
just speaks volumes to me of the growth of a player.
I don't know, it seems to me like it's a
good ratio.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
No, he's definitely made that a point of emphasis as
a starter this season. He's averaging five point eight assists
per game, so nearly six and only turning in over
two times. So again, that ratio there is pretty good.
He's only averaging thirteen and a half points overall because
he did start some earlier in the season, but of late,
you know he's hitting twenty seven, seventeen, ten, twelve. You
(11:09):
know he's consistently double digits and providing an impact as
far as the assisco because he had ten against the Clippers,
five against the Lakers. You know, you've seen him up
at eleven eight nine, So he's doing more as far
as the all around game goes, and not just that
gimmick that you see trying to steal an inbounds pass.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Right now, And I think that's a great way to
put it to where you know he's in the same politely,
he's not playing with Zion and CJ and Trey and
Herb and Dijon Daan when he's starting. Right when he's starting,
he's not He's starting for a reason, so the guys
around him are that it look I kind of joked
about it in a good way, but it is the
(11:54):
G League essentially taking on the Lakers and the Clippers
in the Milwaukee Bucks. So that kind of leads into
my next question here which Hell's player would call him
rookie or young player from Birmingham. Perhaps it's taken the
most advantage of this opportunity on the minutes.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Yeah, I think overall the season and we'll get into
this in a little bit, Misi has absolutely taken advantage
of this opportunity that he was handed in the first
week of the season because of other injuries Trey Murphy
that changed the starting lineup, et cetera, and he gets
thrown in. But of late, I would say Antonio Reeves
has stepped in and made a huge impact on this
(12:32):
team and shown you what he's capable of. He's shown
you that he's ready, he's not afraid of the competition,
the moment, or to take the shot. And in the
month of March alone, he was twenty four of forty
four from outside, which is fifty five percent. It's a
pretty dang good clip for a player who spent most
of the season in Birmingham and then gets thrust into
(12:53):
these minutes again where he is going to be a
focal point because there's not a lot of shooters around
him and he's still knocking down the shots. What's even
more impressive is the way he can hang on the
defensive end. He has been great, and Coach Green has
highlighted that several times that his ability on defense has
(13:13):
been what's really taken him to another level because you
can't count him out on either end of the floor.
You know, we know he's a scorer, but he's somebody
that's going to bother you and can lock people down
defensively as well.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
And I think I mean a reference to it in
our broadcast yesterday, Aaron, you and I get that opportunity
every summer, last couple of summers, to you know, call
the summer league games, and I get it. It's not
a lot of fan first sometimes for Pels fans because
you don't have you know, Zion and other zo's, but
those minutes and those things matter, and it's interesting, right
because Carlo had one of those two games, and you
spoke to him after the game about his growth of
(13:48):
what he can do. Now look at him this year,
Antonio Reeves. I think it took two games where I
kept looking at you during a break. I'm like, I
like that guy. It's just there was games where he
took over the point guard defense. I'm like, you know,
this is a Willie Green guy. He's tough, doesn't shy
from contact. I didn't expect him to be making the
threes that he did. But then again, we forget one
(14:09):
of the things you brought up in those broadcast. He
only led Kentucky in scoring Kentucky. Yeah, pretty good school.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
Right, No, he did a great job in college. He's
taken on that knowledge. But it's also his work ethic
because he is in the gym every night shooting hundreds
and hundreds of shots still and he's working on being
more consistent and he prides himself on that and it's
showing on the court. But it's also his basketball IQ,
(14:39):
the way that he studies the game, because you see
some of the moves that he makes, baseline cuts around
the underneath the basket. The way he's able to show
his athleticism maneuver for an open, more open look underneath
than what you thought. I mean, he knows when to drive,
when to pass, when to shoot, and those are all
(15:00):
things and he's going to continue to improve on over
the summer and I'm excited about what he can be
for this team in the future.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Yeah, I think it's interesting you say that because you
know better than anyone with what you do. You get
to have some relationships in talking to players during the
games and after games and interviewing them. It's not the
easiest thing to do to wait your turn to understand
I still have to learn. I feel like I could
play but go down. And I bring that up because
(15:30):
to me, like the poster player for this accepting and
development is Trey Murphy. Right, guy can play, go to
Birmingham for a bit, come back, and he's talked about
it that his rookie year was hard and it's tough
to do that. Along those lines, Antonio Reeves not getting
a lot of minutes, went to Birmingham a little bit
getting the opportunity here for whatever reason, injuries perhaps, but look,
(15:53):
Willie Green said it. If somebody's injuriesn't happen, some of
these guys don't take advantage. You have to be ready
for that. And now we're sitting here talking and I'm
texting some other people that cover the team training cam.
Next is going to be interesting, right, I mean it's
going to be interesting because you're seeing a lot of
these guys. They can play, so I know it's to
(16:13):
me it's going to be very fun to kind of see.
But give credit right there in Tannry Reeves. You know
better than anybody how hard that is that process your
rookie year.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Yeah, And it's funny because talking to Antonio after the
game last night, you're asking him, Man, you've been playing
so well, do you want things to really end here
in four games or you want to keep keep it rolling?
And he's like, whow, I don't know's it has been
a long season still going back and forth between Birmingham
and what it takes on you mentally and physically, the travel,
(16:41):
the uncertainty that the drive, the work you're putting in
outside of that. So I think I think he's showing
us what's there. But yeah, I think he's ready for
a little reprieve and maybe to work on some things,
take a little break, and then really hit the ground
run in when training camp comes.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
So I agree with you to means Aantonio Reeves because
again to the point what he means. I mean, he's
a first round pick and we thought we'd see him
be involved, but not that. And kudos him becase we're
gonna get him in a quick sec honorable mention. Kem
Brooks Junior.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
When we sat there for Vegas that first practice, you know,
sitting in the bleachers and we're looking him like, who
is that guy? I mean, that guy looks thick, you know.
I mean, chisel doesn't look like I do when I
work out. He's just he looks like that.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
Right.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
We talked about it and he didn't play that much
or at times in a summer league. I walked out
of Vegas thinking of Antonio Reeves and Carlo and Eve.
Right when you look at where he's at right now,
I don't know what his future is, but it's not
a bad thing. When the head coach says he has
an NBA body, he has a good game, the guy's playing, well,
(17:47):
that's somebody that's probably one of those sneaky players where
are like, hey, I know no one's looking at me here,
but these are my minutes and I'm gonna go take
And what do you think of what ke On Brooks
Junior has been able to do?
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Yeah, KP grabbed his first double double last night. He
hacked the glass and after the game and talking to him,
he said that that was something that he was trying
to do more of that he was told to do
more of. You have the body, you have the length,
you have the athleticism, go get the ball. And so
he made a point of doing that more in last
(18:18):
night's game and it paid off dividends with the ten
rebounds that he had. So he's working on different areas
of his game. He's excited about the opportunity's gotten here.
He said it hasn't hit him yet that he started
his first game in the NBA and that he's playing
against Lebron and all these other guys night in and
(18:38):
night out. Now that it's probably gonna hit him in
the offseason when he sits down and takes a breath.
But right now, his complete focus is on what he
can do on the court, and he is continually showing
you more and more of his game. As he said,
he's getting more comfortable on the court. He's just kind
of settling in a little bit more now and it's
(18:58):
playing more free. You having fun out there, and it
looks good. It's fun to watch.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
I love that enthusiasm. I think we can all kind
of relate to it. Right. I can imagine next week
when the weekends and that first round of the playoffs starts,
and they're the Lakers that are clearly like dude, I
was just playing, you know, in LA against them, and
and to your point, there's Luke and Lebron I'm trying
to guard. I'm getting a board and you know, no, no,
(19:24):
you know, the organ in the crowd it is. It's
incredible when you think about it, and it's awesome to
see that. Because you're around those players. I get to
see them a little bit as well. It is a
good group. And to your point, you're not dropping the numbers.
You're dropping if you're not ready and you're not putting
in that work. So that leads us to our last part.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Here.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
One are those players that we've been talking about. Obviously
that's taking advantage of the extra minutes and playing has
been eased me see, and the team kind of making
sure the rest of the NBA we know it but
the rest of the NBA knows that he's had a
very successful rookie campaign and once I'm on one of
those all teams, when you look at eve Mec, can
(20:02):
I make the case an argument? And we'll maybe bring
up the candidacy of the different candidates over the next
couple of podcasts, But can I make a case that
Eve Mec is this year's Pelicans team MVP?
Speaker 3 (20:16):
I think that's definitely something that we could consider, because
do you want me to start?
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (20:22):
Okay, no one on this team has had a more
impressive year than eve Mec. Prior to playing this year,
he had only had one year of collegiate basketball. He
didn't even get to the United States until twenty twenty,
and at that point he did not know English. So
not only was he trying to learn the game of basketball,
he didn't know how to communicate to understand the game
(20:44):
the proper way. So his learning curve was vast. You know,
he had a lot of room to grow, but he
clearly has the body type. He comes from basketball pedigree,
both of his parents playing for the national team and camera,
so he had an idea of what he was supposed
to do, but understanding the technical side of the game.
(21:08):
The IQ, as far as basketball goes, very intelligent person,
which is why he's been able to take leaps and
bound so quickly. He had a long way to go,
and when he was drafted here he was looked at
as a developmental player. And I remember at the beginning
of the year, Bryce and Graham, the GM here said
that hopefully his learning curve was short, because that's what
(21:31):
happened when he got to Baylor. He was supposed to
red shirt, and he immediately started playing because he was
much better than they He quickly got better than they
thought he was going to be. So it just showed
that he picks things up really quickly.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
You know.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
It's a tribute to his work ethic, his maturity, his
ability to learn and apply that to the court. And
we saw that firsthand at Summer League, where from game
one to Game five he was a lot better, you know,
just the space and the understanding where he's supposed to
be on the floor. We've seen that improve so much
since the beginning of the year. He was getting stuck
(22:11):
down there under the basket a lot, not knowing where
to go, who to cover, how to move in tandem
with the players around him. Physically, he's still growing. I
think filling out not something he can work on in
the off season. But for him to get thrown into
a starting role second game of the season and the
way he handled it has been extremely impressive. And now
(22:33):
the fact that he's at thirteen double doubles on the season,
he's a top first in blocks per game, rebounds per
game and rookies, and top ten in points per game.
He's definitely gone above and beyond what we thought he
would at this point, and I'm excited to see how
(22:53):
much more he can grow with an off season where
he can take the time to rest and recovery, evaluate
his game a little bit more, and then attack the
game in different ways.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
And you're excellent on that. I would just literally like
highlight that or dress that up with to your point.
More than anything, their expectation levels, I think is why
I'm making him a candidate, right, I mean, if I
had to give you my top three, it's probably it's
not Probably a lot of people kind of think that
way to me. I mean, look, Cose Alvarado, we just
talked about what he's been able to do, right, being consistent,
(23:29):
growing in his game, becoming a team leader. All that
Trey Murphy obviously season coming to an end because of
an injury, but he went from hey, let's see if
he can be a really nice piece to we all
would have fun. Let's be honest, whether it's the water
cooler or the hallways. Can he be a starter? Can
he push? You know what? Where's his He's a starter.
(23:50):
He's an NBA starter and star.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
He's the number two on this team behind Zion Williams.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
Right, So I mean that alone probably puts him in
leading contention for Team MVP. But I have to, you know,
make him a candidate. You know, like the NFL Honors Ords,
you know that you have three, right that you have that,
and I put him at three. I honestly do at
least in the top three. Because of that, Nobody expected
this guy is going to be a starter, and it's
(24:18):
almost to me it's an organizational changing rise. And what
I mean by that is going into this offseason, we
need bigs, we need try a small thing. We saw
a small thing didn't work. But you have a guy
who can develop in big so you don't have to
trade assets, you don't have to maybe go out and
try to find a big and free agency. I think
(24:40):
you can develop the bigs you have. Am I wrong
on that? Because that, to me is why he's a
team MVP candidate, because you might have helped me for
making some moves that I might have needed to if
you were maybe a developmental player three four years away.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
I think ive Micia and even Carla Makovic have solidified
a center position here for the next few years. I mean,
maybe you go out and you get somebody who is
a true starter in the league for next season, but
you definitely have the future at your five spot, maybe
(25:17):
even four if they continue to play some of those
taller lineups, which they have started two bigs numerous times.
Is over the past season. You look back to last
night's game, though, and there was a shot that was
just off the baseline fade away that Eve hit and
myself Andrew Lopez Wes Johnson looked at each other and
(25:39):
we're like, wait, he has that in his bag? Where
has that been? Because if you can develop that little
you know, short fade away from the dunker spot like
that is a game changer as well, because then he
doesn't have to get all the way to the hoop
and the way that he's actually been dunking and throwing
it down. Yeah, sometimes he's got to get two hay
(26:00):
on it to make sure that it is successful. But
last night he threw down on one handed dunk, So
I think he's still the evolution of his game is continuing,
and even last night we saw a different level of it.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Well, and it's you know, to your point again, you've
played one year of basketball.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
Yeah, I mean at a high level.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Let's be honest, I like, that is just incredible when
you think about it, When when you can improve that much,
it just gets you. I Mean it's almost like the
Mad Scientists, you know, Jeff or something where you're just
like you can't wait to literally get this guy in
a lab for a couple of years righting stronger, develop
those games and do those things because he's just he
(26:42):
has the one thing that's going to make that possible.
And it's something you've brought up several times in your
reports or in podcasts. Tell him, once he gets it done,
you move on like it's just and that's incredible. That's
that's a huge trait.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
Yeah, he was supposed to go to Stanford and he
wanted to go play basketball, at Baylor and how to
make a deal with his mom that he would go
back and get his degree from Stanford if she would
let him go play, because he felt that would be
better for his basketball career, which seems like it worked
out pretty well for him. Yeah, and I'm sure he
will go back and make right on his deal with
(27:15):
his mom. But I will say, in terms of MVP
for the team, availability has to be a big part
of it. And unfortunately for Trey, he didn't start the
season and didn't end the season. So Eve me c
has really held it down, played the most minutes out
of anybody on this team.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
I was going to say to your point, to conclude
with that, that is another reason you have to put
him in there. We have seen him in games hearin
and because you're on the sideline and you do injury reports,
he gets nicked up in games, he finishes those games. Yeah,
he's gone into the locker room, he's come back out
on the locker room. He gets hurt in one game,
he doesn't miss the next game. He plays the next game.
(27:55):
He may miss a practice, but he plays the next game.
And to your point, on this team, with what we've
seen in the franchise the last couple of years. That's
a massive reason for me to be like, Okay, that's
a that's a foundational piece because he's playing through injuries. Yeah, no,
I'm playing through bumps and bruises.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Just last night, you walked into the locker room and
he's sitting there with his foot in a bucket of ice,
and like the look on his face is like he
is beat up, you know, like he's at the point
where it's been a long season, but he is getting
back out there and he's going to give it a go.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
I love it. It's good stuff. Look, and that I think
that's the hardest part sometimes when we you don't follow
the team or something like that, where I'll get it
every now and then people whether it's the GM or
a restaurant or in line to check out at the
grocery store. Right, oh man, the hells tell you we
got no home? Like huh no, not really, And I
would you agree with that. Look, we're going to do
a year end review here next week with all of
(28:53):
us and give final thoughts. But I do think back
to how we started this conversation. The two games on
the West, the game yesterday. There are some things that
are legit. That was the Lakers jillse drop twenty seven
against Yeah, this was good teams where seeing Cambrooks get
a double double. Like, these are some good teams where
six Pelicans players now second game in a row, you
(29:14):
have double figures, you know. I mean this is legit.
I mean those are legit teams. So you can't that's
not me trying to sugarcoat things. I think it's a
good thing.
Speaker 3 (29:24):
Yeah, And I apologize to some of the fans that
sit behind me because they'll yell and scream and boo
and whatever, and I'll get up and I'll be like, listen,
you see who's out there.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
What do you expect?
Speaker 3 (29:38):
Like they're actually doing a pretty good job, you know.
And I kind of try to nicely put things in perspective, because, yes,
this is not where any of us wanted to be
at this point in the season. But you have to
find the silver lining because it's there this team that,
in general, from the players to the coaching staff, could
have absolutely given up, and you're watching lackluster performance after
(30:02):
lackluster performance every night, and that's not what we're getting.
You're definitely seeing players out there, they're coaching hard in practices,
they are playing hard in games, and I think we're
still getting a fun product, no doubt.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
And I think that's the thing that stands out more
than anything else, that players are taking advantage of it.
And that's that's all you can do. But look again,
there's some fun things that we can wait to see.
But yeah, I'm with you. It's a let's get to
next week and get onto the off season.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
Really, games that matter in that count for sure. Thank
you so much for your time today.
Speaker 3 (30:33):
Absolutely fast job.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
Feeling for Jim, Thank you, thank you. But speaking of Jim,
here he is. You know, we couldn't go with the
entire podcast, what not mister I can offer here is
his normal Monday segment.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
Well, it's a Monday, thankfully, Jim is always our Friday.
It's time for mister Eichenhoffer to give his players of
the week and a player to watch for this week,
which you.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
Got, big guy.
Speaker 4 (31:03):
Well, Mallory, I can't believe this is the last Monday
episode of the season. It's been a lot of peaks
and valleys, but you maintained the same exact energy every
Monday of the season. We are truly appreciative of your consistency. Anyways,
the player of the week is going to be Antonio Reeves.
(31:23):
He averaged fourteen point seven points over the three games.
He led New Orleans and scoring Among the players who
played in all three games. Jose Alvarado also had a
really good week worth mentioning. Played in two of the
three games averaged twenty two points a game. But back
to Reeves, he shot forty five percent from the field
forty percent from three point range, so he continues to
(31:43):
be on fire in red hot from the three point arc.
And by the way, I have mentioned recently that he
had the best three point percentage of any player in
the league since the All Star Break, He's actually second
now Atlanta's Viet Creechy has moved ahead of him at
fifty seven percent, but Antonio Reeves is still shooting fifty
three percent from three point range. Since the All Star Break,
(32:05):
He's twenty seven for fifty one, So an excellent stretch
by the rookie from Kentucky. The player to watch over
the next seven days, Unfortunately, our final seven days of
the season is going to be Eve Mesi. Last week,
in three games, he averaged twelve point three points, eleven
point seven rebounds, one point seven blocks, shot fifty nine
(32:27):
percent from the field, and by the way too, He's
currently sixth on the NBA dot Com Rookie Ladder, the
most recent one that the league's website posted. So I
mean he has a chance to be first team All Rookie.
I mean, based on that, obviously, he would be just
at the beginning of the second team All Rookie. If
Eve is picked for All Rookie, either first team or
(32:49):
second team, he'll be the first Pelicans player to do
that since Herb Jones in twenty twenty two was named
to the All Rookie second Team. So definitely something that
I think is a reason expectation that we should be
seeing Eve get recognition for that at some point over
the next few weeks, whenever the league announces the All
Rookie teams. Lastly, going to spoiler scale, I'll try to
(33:12):
make this brief because I'm working remotely Brooklyn. The game
on Tuesday, I'm gonna give that one a one because
Brooklyn's out of the race. They've been out of playing
contention for a while. The game on Thursday at Milwaukee,
that's a seven because the Pistons and Bucks are in
a very tight race for the five and six seed
in the East Friday night against Miami at home in
(33:33):
the Smoothie King Center. That one, I'm giving an eight
because the Heat are also in a position where they're
going to be in the play in tournament, but they
still have a chance to move up from where they
are and potentially put themselves in a better position. I
think by the time we get to Friday, it'll be
a little bit more clear than it is now. But
I'm guessing that that game is going to be of
significant importance for the Heat and one that they're going
(33:55):
to feel like they really need to get. And then lastly,
Sunday's game the finale home again Okae, I'm giving that
one a three. I would have given it a one
because OKAC really has had the number one seed clinch
for a while and they aren't gonna have a lot
to play for. I wonder if we'll see a lot
of G League players for the Thunder play in that game.
But instead of giving it a one, I went with
(34:15):
a three because Okay, see, there's definitely a high vengeance
factor here. The fact that the Thunder have ended the
Pelicans season a couple times in recent years, whether it
was the playoffs last year or the play in tournament
in the year before. So to review Spoiler Scale Brooklyn
Game one, Milwaukee seven, Miami eight, and OKC three.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
Back to you, Gus all right, our thanks to Jam
and for Aaron for filling in for him. Our next
Pelicans podcast will be on Friday. Until then, we will
see you on the New Orleans Pelicans podcast.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
Thanks for listening to the New Orleans Pelicans Podcast. Join
us three times per week on pelicans dot com, the
Pelicans mobile app, the iHeartRadio app, or where you get
your pun and be sure to give Jim and Guss
a follow on x at Jim Underscore I Can Offer
(35:06):
and Gcat Underscore seventeen. We'll see you next time right
here on the New Orleans Pelicans podcast.
Host
Jim Eichenhofer
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