New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi joined an exclusive club Monday night, putting him in company with some of the best big men in franchise history.
Missi finished with 10 rebounds, five blocked shots and five assists in [the Pelicans’ 129-111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks](https://www.nola.com/tncms/asset/editorial/e7666d24-bd3c-4814-97b6-be29ce8ffc0b/) at the Smoothie King Center.
He joined David West, Demarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson as the only players in team history to grab 10 rebounds with five assists and five blocked shots. Davis did it five times and Cousins did it twice.
Missi’s thoughts on hearing his name listed with those other four?
“It means a lot,” Missi said. “Just being able to help my teammates. We got the win and that’s the most important thing. I didn’t even know I had five assists until someone mentioned it at the end of the game.”
The five assists were a career high for Missi. The five blocks tied his career high, set last year when he was a rookie. Even more impressive is Missi is only 21, making him the youngest player in this exclusive club to hit the 10-5-5 benchmark in a game.
“I thought he was fantastic,” said interim coach James Borrego. “Really all of our bigs were. But Yves specifically in impacting the rim. The way he’s rebounding out there. He affects our defense in so many ways. I love his energy, his spirit. He’s becoming that rim protector for us.”
The Pelicans finished with 12 blocks in the game. The previous high this season was 11, which they had done five times. Herb Jones, Derik Queen and Jordan Poole had two each and Trey Murphy had one.
“Just having each other’s back and being there for each other,” Missi said about the defensive effort. “That’s the main thing. Defense is something that has been emphasized lately. Being able to rebound and get some stops and be in position.”
The emphasis on defense, coupled with the Pelicans finally being fully healthy, has translated to more wins. The Pelicans (23-36) are 8-4 over their past 12 games. They have won their past five games in the Smoothie King Center and will try to make it six in a row Wednesday night when they host the Los Angeles Clippers in the first of back-to-back games.
The Pelicans are in the middle of a stretch where nine of 10 opponents are teams that will be either in the playoffs or the play-in tournament. They are 1-1 against those teams bound for the postseason, beating the Toronto Raptors and losing to the Houston Rockets in a nail-biter.
Monday’s win over the Mavs was the one game against a non-postseason team. Now they get the gauntlet. They play the Clippers twice, followed by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. After that is a three-game road trip to face the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons and Raptors again.
The Pelicans’ success will depend on how well they can defend.
“It’s about getting more stops and getting more possessions than the other team," Missi said. "Whoever gets the most possession is most likely going to win the game.”
Missi is averaging 5.5 points and 5.6 rebounds this season. His numbers are down from last season when he averaged 9.1 points and 8.2 rebounds on his way to being named second team on the All-Rookie team. He’s started just nine games this season, compared to 67 a year ago, but the improvement he's shown has been evident. His blocks are slightly up.
“We’re using him a number of ways defensively,” Borrego said. “Then he gets out and runs. He’s all over the offensive glass. He’s made tremendous strides.”
With just 12 games remaining in the season, Missi is hoping to finish strong. Although the Pelicans haven’t been eliminated from the play-in tournament, it’s pretty much out of reach. But there’s still something to play for.
“Building good habits, defensively and offensively,” Missi said. “Move the ball. Be there for each other. Build that chemistry for the team. We are building something up for next year. That’s the main thing. We know the record is not the best. Just go out there and play and get some wins and get ready for next year.”