Evaluating Zion Williamson, Herb Jones & the Pelicans' strong defensive start | The Hoop Collective

He is a very annoying pet. Do you think I am out of line with López? No, uh, I can see how it could be very annoying. What I would like to see them do. I said this, a thing called Zach's Pot. I'd like to watch them take on King Cake Baby and the original Pierre as the river that scared the kids that they had to have emergency surgery to cure it mid-season. Hey, that's a new fan-friendly Pierre, just bring them out like a Halloween game every year like just go get that costume, bring them for Halloween every year, but you know, I have Brian, I still have him and I'm mad because I didn't wake up with a t-shirt, what was the name of Marley's baseball team?

The king cake oh, the baby cakes, the baby cakes, I still have one of their hats, they don't really. I won't say this, the marketing around that horrible, uh, uh, the actual, fantastic logos and merchandise. Lopez doesn't remember this, but I dragged him to a baby cakes uh gift shop after a Pelicans practice once he gets some loot um sorry, we could talk about that doesn't last all day um Good luck, good luck to the Tigers this weekend. I'm going, you have to be, you're, I bet I bet you'd like to know you would. It hurt me last week, oh that hurt me, man, the Texas A M thing, but you know we have nothing to lose, right?

And it's four o'clock, so if it gets bad, then. I might just know, I don't know if you remember meeting Eddie Kennison there, you remember Eddie Kennison, he played for the Chiefs, he played a little bit for the Saints, the star wide receiver from LSU, a friend of mine, a big fan of wine and He said yes, brother. If things go bad, we'll find a wine bar in Atlanta somewhere, hey girl, that sounds good to me, well the Pelicans won six of their last eight games, they beat the Thunder on Monday, Tuesday night, no Monday night, Monday night, Monday. night, yeah, and six, six out of eight, although poor CJ, you know this pot has been known to knock some people over, but CJ did the Pod and immediately went into the protocols, like leaving the cross pod that we did and said, uh , I'm on protocol he seemed fine in the Pod he didn't seem sick but I had lunch with him two weeks ago I was also looking at the dates he didn't seem sick in the Pod but they haven't seen him since I hope CJ is feeling better, great man Yes, but even without CJ, they have continued to win and if I'm right, Lopez, they are in a friendly part of the schedule, they have seven of eight home games, which in the end in about a week, a little over a week or so, they have a baseball series against the Suns, two games with the Suns in a rematch of last year's playoffs.

I don't know if Chris Paul will come back for that. because the Suns aren't being honest about Chris Paul's injury, but whatever they seem to get away with, apparently no one cares and hopefully the Pelicans will have CJ back and ready to go for it, but they are in a good part of the schedule and are playing well. Zion had a good game, eight rebounds and eight assists on Monday night, that's a good all-around game for him, Lopez. For a while they were around 500 um, which made the difference that took them to the stands. Things here with these last two good weeks of play, honestly, it's been home games.

They

start

ed their schedule this year 8 of 11. The trip was a brutal schedule to

start

with, so you mentioned that they are in this good stretch here with 6 of 7 at home, the only road game is in San Antonio, not back-to-back, you can go. you travel you rest you do all that um and they've done a lot of this you know it's just that we're in San Antonio like a few days ago that's where CJ got sick the day before Thanksgiving and now they're going back to San Antonio and they're done. their trips to San Antonio this year, but from what you've seen, they have something to do against teams you should beat if you want.

You know, one of the top four teams in the west, what's their goal, what's the shape they want to be in and they've done that a lot with guys coming in and out of the lineup, they've played 20 games so far. They have 12 and 8. They have six and two in games that CJ Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson can finish. They've only been able to finish eight of 20 games with those three, seven and three in the bi and Z games. They've finished Brandon came out of two games and they ended up losing due to, um, due to injuries.

Z was injured in two games and finished well, he didn't finish the Utah game either, but despite that. You're 12 and 8, you know you're, you're looking, you're obviously near the top of the West standings, you're six on offense, you're fifth on defense, which I think is what maybe no one, stunner man. I think we were talking about if they could be league average. You know you had high expectations about what they could do and the fact that they're fifth has been great and you know what we know. You know we can talk. over much of their defense, but Zion's defense over the last three or four games has been better than I think the average fan would expect.

He had all three blocks against the Thunder. I think you'll remember that a couple of weeks ago. as if he asked for a rating as if someone asked him to rate his defense and then he said there is no way, you rate my defense. I was being a little condescending, but um, let's just grade Zion and see if he's after every game, why not? so no let's not grade Jeremy Graham's play yeah that one delete that one that was the outlier you just deleted that one yeah so that started because we had been asking a lot about his defense because after the Brooklyn Le game I asked: Hey, how did you feel at the end?

This is the first game of the season. He said, "Let me watch some film and then ask me after the Charlotte game," so we asked him then, just so you know, we ask him periodically how you feel. your treatment like, how would you say? and I think he got a little tired of that, so he started turning it around. Last night he did it. He did it again, but I think he did it completely the way he was. He was involved in that prank last night, but he's been better in that sense, obviously there's been some, you know, some guards that have taken him down, obviously, you know, Mark mentioned the Jeremy Grant play, no it's not cool, but in there's overall energy, especially since he came after this last foot contusion, I mean the last three or four games his energy level has been there and that San Antonio again we mentioned before Thanksgiving could have been the best first half I had seen him play

defensive

ly since he arrived. the league um, it's really improved in that regard and I think the team as a whole hasn't, every time you ask Willie Green about Z's defense, he always comes back to this individual defense, it's part of our team defense, well, the team's defense is fifth in the league right now, which again I don't think anyone saw coming, maybe even within that building, they would be number five, but that's been the way they've started racking up these victories against, again, teams.

It should be beating, so Spears, you have an article that came out today, that is, Wednesday. I guess we'll start tomorrow, but that's when this group comes out about Herb Jones, one of the most exciting young players in the league, tell us about. What you learned about Herb Jones, um, and that when you were working on this piece, well, first of all, I was fascinated with him on defense, which made me feel drawn to want to talk to him when I was in New Orleans. I mean

defensive

ly, those blocks that he's become famous for blocking three-point shots, uh, last game on Monday, he had a couple of incredible defensive plays down the stretch, you know, you say Gilgas Alexander is one of the best, he should be an All-Star.

Pride that this season he is one of the best, if he is not, there will be an investigation, yes, he is one of the top scorers in this league, but you know that he had to work to surpass 30. Thanks to her, you know that the slowed down. uh, in the last minute, which led to a turnover on an offensive charge, so you know, the visit with the guy the other day he just wanted to talk about the defense and nothing, you know, a little advice from Andrew about his eccentricity off the field. I guess and that's what I think the story scene does because this guy is definitely not your typical NBA player, hey look, I come from the Allen Iverson godliness years, the smooth Kenyan Martin, you know all that , no, not your jokes, no, no, weed.

Jones, he drives to games in the 2018 Dodge Charger, it has about 65,000 miles on it, he has no interest in buying a new car until the wheels fall off, this is an NBA player, he walks into the arena without worrying about the world about cameras about images for social media or television and he likes it, he says if it's free it's me, yes, then use yes. CJ McCollum on the Pod last week talked about how we were talking about cryptocurrencies and he's like, "I know." who didn't buy any, yeah, yeah, exactly and that's why he's wearing team-issued sweatshirts for the game, this isn't cool, this isn't Russell Westbrook, you know, this isn't Chris Paul, man, his stuff says

pelicans

and I I ask why. you put that on, he's like it's free and it's a two minute walk from my car to the locker room and then once I get into the locker room I'm changing my clothes anyway so I might as well be comfortable. um, he was a business major at the University of Alabama and probably about my uncle, he was arrested in Seoul from New Orleans, they called him squeaky because they said his pockets were so tight for money that they squeaked right.

You could call this guy a squeaker, a non-spending man. Without money, he didn't go on vacation. Larry Nance Jr offered to pay him to go on vacation because he kept saying he had to get him out of the gym. I had to get him to take him out of the gym and he refused, but his father. He told him to take a two day vacation, so he went to a small town in Alabama where he's from and slept for a day and then went fishing for a day and then drove back to New Orleans in the Charger. like he just didn't catch anything fishing, he wasn't either, he was very upset about that day, okay, we probably didn't pay for the bait, he probably just put the yeah, yeah, he put a stick and a hook in the back, but He, um, just, you know. financially he says: I want to spend money on my children, that's what my money is for, for my children's education.

I'm going to say how many children you have. I don't have kids yet, but I think that was his simple way. to talk about how generational wealth is important to him, so he said that if my brother, my mom, my dad, close family friends need something, they know they could come to me, but otherwise, I won't spend anything and me and then me. Then I saw I asked him about social media and he told me this is what I think NBA players and probably most people in general should hear. I publish some photos that the team gives me.

It's me, typically related to basketball. It has some J Cole in it. things that he posts from time to time on Twitter or talks about his dog on Instagram um, but he said that if you make it, you succumb or through social media and that just ruins you mentally. It's like you start reading what everyone has to say. and you act like you can look at him, but he's like you can't look at him, at some point he'll get you and only bring negativity, so City doesn't spend time on social media, that's what it sounds like. like the guy just fished, played video games, and the last thing I said was that, hey, the only one your team owns one of the largest Mercedes dealerships in the greater New Orleans area, like in the and I'm sure she could get you a discount on a Mercedes she drives one of the most beautiful Maybachs in the arena okay just give me 30 seconds it's a gorgeous car it's a gorgeous car can you explain to the listeners Brian what we're talking about so that you know many?

The arenas in the NBA are underground, you know you've been to a lot of arenas, probably if you're listening, you go in, you go down, the Pelicans are being the Smoothie King Center that's at street level because you know, I don't know if I heard, but sometimes New Orleans can't be submerged in the water, there is a little water there, no one does not bring back bad memories, but, as a result, when you enter from the street, you walk directly to where it is. The court is so Mrs. Benson, she's not Yale, she's Mrs. Benson, you know how that goes, yeah, yeah, she has a parking spot at the arena and I mean, how close is she to the judged, it's like the loading dock is kind of the outside outside yeah, yeah, they open the door at the loading dock and she drives, yeah, she's like the buses are outside because there's no room to put buses in the sand, uh, and then it just stops right behind the bus, it has a driver. she has never driven that car, she respectfully said that it is some kind of super beautiful high end Maybach and it is always beautifully waxed, there is not a speck of dirt, no, I don't care what kind of rain it is outside, her hair is perfect clothes , TRUE?

It's her it's what she's wearing I don't want to insult NoI know, you don't know what she's wearing, they make her clothes, probably not, no, there's no doubt about that, but she is, she's probably the most spectacularly dressed owner in the world. in sports she is not extravagant just not Elegance the word yes elegant but she could probably help him update the charger 2018, which is his point and many, there are many equipment issued, um Benz is available for executives and on both sides, pickups and Saints, If you know there are a lot of benzos around and no weed, that's what weed is.

Although and that's yeah, that's how Herb has been her. We saw Herb and you mentioned that he wore Pelicans gear all the time on slides and slides, they always slide. I think he has to put on shoes when he sits on the bench and he doesn't like it. uh, if not, it's if he's not playing, but one time he wore a WNBA sweatshirt and, like, oh, you bought the WNBA sweatshirt and he says no, when we went to the Philippines, he went to the Philippines in the When it comes to NBA Cares, he says. they were handing out NBA they were handing out sweatshirts so I took one of those and I'll wear it now he's in my room his eyes his eyes that have a you know, he has very sleepy eyes, he's very, very hairy, heavy eyelids his eyes open, the only time he opens them is when he sees free team, yes, but he gets very excited, takes the charge or throws the ball off uh poku's back to win a game, that's how he ended up Monday night taking the charge with 2.3 left . on Shea and then immediately comes back and does the trick of throwing the ball off the back of the defender as he turns around on the inbounds play.

I've never seen that play in a stage of the game, yeah, like that at the end of the game where it matters, I've always seen it like, oh, it's the third quarter or the second quarter and you guys can steal an easy bucket under the goal. I had never seen him for that crazy basketball IQ at that time because of the way he said last night, uh or Monday. Night had never done that before, she had never tried it in the game, she had never tried it in the game, she just saw Poku turn around and say, okay, I'll do this right now and I'll win the game, yeah, for the blows from friends. the two free throws right after, so I was defending Shea a lot Gilda Alexander on Monday, yeah, nba.com loser stats, Guillory from the Athletic tweeted it, but nba.com stats, Shea, as you know, has 15 3 15 30. point games this season he leads the league in 30 point games and he also had 30 on Monday night okay but when Herb was guarding him Shay was two of nine from the field he only made six points, had four turnovers, blocked his shot three times and one.

One of the things that Shade Gilda Alexander does so well is getting to the line, drawing fouls that he's become so adept at, that's one of the reasons he's become so efficient: he committed nine fouls against the Pelicans, which is what he does, but Herb only fouled him twice, yeah. and the thing about grass, you know he has, he's six foot eight, so he has tremendous NBA size. I went and looked at his um, his wingspan measurement in the co, the draft combine was seven feet, he's got a seven foot wingspan, he obviously plays very smart, um, and he's got an ideal build for defending because he's got great length, um, but he's built like Mikhail Bridges, who is almost the ideal defender in the modern NBA.

He has tremendous length, but he's thin enough to get around screens and you know he's just elusive defensively. it's hard to get in your way thanks for watching ESPN on YouTube for live streaming Sports and premium content subscribe to ESPN Plus