Jaron Pierre Jr. spent 59 minutes on the court across two separate games on the same day in New Orleans, Basket USA reported.
Pierre started his day with the Laketown Squadron, the G-League affiliate of the New Orleans Pelicans. He scored 23 points in the home victory for the Squadron before traveling directly to the Smoothie King Center to join the NBA roster for an evening game against the Denver Nuggets.
“Je m’étais bien reposé en sachant que je devais jouer à 11 heures avec l’équipe de G-League,” said Jaron Pierre Jr., Pelicans rookie. “J’ai tout donné, nous avons gagné, puis je suis resté prêt sans savoir exactement ce qui m’attendait.”
The rookie added that he had no downtime between the morning and evening fixtures. “Entre les deux rencontres, je n’ai rien eu le temps de faire : je suis venu directement ici pour me préparer,” Pierre told Basket USA.
Hours after finishing his morning assignment, Pierre logged 23 minutes off the bench against the Nuggets. He finished the NBA contest with 13 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block without committing a turnover, bringing his total playing time for the day to 59 minutes.
Jamahl Mosley instructed Pierre before tip-off to study video of Jamal Murray rather than joke around in the locker room. Pierre subsequently spent defensive possessions guarding Murray as well as Aaron Gordon following switches.
“C’était simplement la continuité du premier match,” Pierre told Basket USA. “Je n’étais pas surpris une fois sur le terrain. Je savais que j’avais ma place.”
His performance included two 3-pointers and a transition dunk that sparked the New Orleans crowd. The Pelicans ultimately lost the game 116-108, marking their sixth defeat.
“C’était du basket à l’état pur,” Mosley told Basket USA. “Il adore jouer et on voit toute la joie et toute l’énergie qu’il apporte.”
