New Orleans Pelicans: 3 takeaways from 2019 NBA Summer League

3. Zion isn’t the only exciting rookie in town

Zion Williamson is easily one of the most hyped players to come into the league in a very long time. His first game in Vegas was completely sold out and tickets were being sold for over $500, which for any Summer League game is just pure madness.

He is such an exciting player that even LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers came to see him play in his debut:

As we mentioned before though, Zion did not get to fully excite as much as everyone wanted him to. However, that did not stop the other 2019 first round picks from putting on a show.

Texas big man Jaxson Hayes and Virginia Tech guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker were both selected by New Orleans in this year’s draft, and once they were able to officially join the Summer League squad (had to wait for the AD trade to be finalized), they dazzled almost immediately.

Starting with Hayes, the eighth pick of the draft, showed off his crazy athleticism and talent during his whole time in Vegas, and finished with averages of 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. This was good enough to have him named to the NBA Summer League second team.

It was evident immediately that Hayes’ best attribute is his athleticism. He can jump out of the gym and he became easily the most exciting player in the Summer League with his jaw dropping dunks and chase down blocks.

The crazy thing about Hayes is that he still has a long ways to go before he reaches his full potential. The 19-year-old started out playing football, and did not take basketball seriously until his junior year in high school.

So, we are not exactly sure what his full potential is yet, but one thing that is for sure is that when he is out on the floor he will provide a ton of crazy athletic plays and excitement.

The other exciting rookie is Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The 17th pick showed off a plethora of skills during his time in the Summer League and earned first team honors with averages of 24.3 points, 6.0 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game.

NAW really impressed with his facilitating of the offense, his ability to drive and pass with both hands and also his three point shooting as he was 40.6 percent from behind the arc.

Also, on the defensive side he showed great hands, as he seemed to come up with multiple key steals down the stretch of games.

There was one particular play during the semifinal game where he turned the ball over on offense, but then instead of sulking and jogging back on defense he sprinted back down the court and ended up stealing the ball right back.

A play like that really resonates with people, as it shows the great hustle and motor he has. It is very encouraging to see because it also shows that he will never give up on a play no matter the circumstances.

https://twitter.com/NBASummerLeague/status/1150549159264395264

Even though it is just the Summer League and it is still very early, NAW has already proven he is a steal coming out of this year’s draft class.

He was easily my favorite player to watch during all of Summer League, and it will be interesting to see how he will fit into the rotation this year for the Pelicans.