Where does Eric Gordon fit in his return to the Pelicans rotation?
By Rick Stone
The return of Eric Gordon to the Pelicans is upon us. After suffering a torn labrum on November 24th that sidelined him for a while, Gordon is set to return to the rotation sometime this week, potentially even Monday against the Wizards. Sure, Eric Gordon has had many injury issues, however the team is happy to have one of their more effective scoring options back on the floor. It has to be a positive, right?
In an odd turn of events, this could end up being unexpected trouble for the Pelicans…
In the past few games, New Orleans seems to have discovered their rotation, their bench and their best players on the court. The bench backcourt combo of Austin Rivers and Jimmer Fredette have played quite well together, helping the Pelicans bench unit in the latest three-game stretch since Jimmer has been given a minute increase. The Pelicans have went 2-1 in those games, with wins against the Rockets and Suns and an overtime loss to the Spurs. Since given the starting SG role, Tyreke Evans has flourished, forcing teams to gameplan against him just as much as they do with Jrue Holiday. The whole team seems to be playing better. They have it figured out. That could change with Eric Gordon’s return.
For the Pelicans to get Gordon into the game, they’re going to have to take minutes away from other players into the rotation,leading to a very hard question. Who should that player be?
There are only three places the Pelicans could realistically fit Gordon back into the rotation that make sense. He could start at shooting guard which would bump Evans to small forward in the starting rotation or Gordon could move to the backup shooting guard role and replace either Rivers, or shift Rivers to the role of backup point guard and replace Fredette from the rotation. Or they could try to run a “small” bench unit with Dante Cunningham at the 4 and Ryan Anderson at the 5. The likely answer will be at starting shooting guard along with Reke at small forward, which brings up some issues.
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Sure, Luke Babbitt hasn’t been superb since he’s been in the starting lineup, however his long-range game has helped space the floor for Tyreke and Anthony Davis to have success across the floor. Since Eric Gordon’s injury, Tyreke’s stats have shown great improvement in his offensive game. Compared to his overall stats this season, Tyreke has seen his points per game increase to 17.9 points per game, compared to only 15 in the first 12 games of the season. His shooting percentage has made a huge increase since Gordon’s injury, upgraded to 44.8% since November 24th, compared to 38.8% when Gordon was healthy. Tyreke has been much more effective on the floor with his increased usage and the increased spacing Babbitt has added. Will Gordon tarnish that when he’s on the floor and will the decrease of time Evans handles the ball hurt his play? It could happen.
That leaves the second option open: Play Eric off the bench, which seems fair. The starting lineup has played well in the past few games. They’ve made progress. Just let him be the star on the bench. Except…
The Pelicans bench has been superb the past three games. Ryan Anderson, Austin Rivers, Dante Cunningham and newly inserted Jimmer Fredette make up the Pelicans core bench players. However, it would be tricky to just shove Gordon in with those four guys since the group lacks a real center, which on some occasion is a toss-up between Alexis Ajinca and Jeff Withey. So who does Gordon play for? You would think Jimmer would be the right solution since he was just added. However, Jimmer has been on fire since his nod to join the bench group. In the past three games, Fredette is averaging 11 PPG and a +9 rating while being on the floor. Jimmer brings a second shooting threat on the floor for the Pelicans, something the bench lacked prior.
Then there’s Austin Rivers.Austin has had an up-and-down season on the bench, yet his driving ability provides the space for guys like Ryan Anderson and Jimmer Fredette to get open. Other than Ryan Anderson, no one on the bench unit has had more asked of him than Austin Rivers. When Gordon originally went down, Rivers was the one who was inserted into the starting lineup. He exhibits a lot of similarities to Eric Gordon’s game as well. A decent mid-range game, with the ability to drive to the basket effectively and draw contact.
And then there’s the idea to try to run a three guard set on the bench with Rhino and Dante Cunningham. The idea of Ryan Anderson playing the center is a disaster of a thought. However, you have to wonder what kind of offensive schemes the team would come up with. All in all, each of these situations brings pros and cons to the Pelicans.
Joining the Starting Lineup:
The Pros of Eric Gordon joining the starting lineup alongside Tyreke in exchange for the benching of Luke Babbitt are simple.
Talent.
In the NBA, having the best players on the floor is always a clear advantage. Gordon is much more talented than Luke Babbitt, and would put five of the Pelicans six best players on the floor. Gordon is a pure scorer, and has the ability to help a team that has struggled at times to score the basketball, especially in late game situations. Babbitt does not have much speed, and Gordon would be able to attack defenses more effectively, which could get easier looks for all of the other players on the floor. Gordon is able to handle the basketball and distribute much more effectively than Luke Babbitt and when healthy, is one of those guys who can get hot quickly, causing defenses to have to adjust.
The Cons of this decision are also very simple.
Spacing and defense.
With Eric Gordon on the floor instead of Babbitt, the Pelicans downsize. Tyreke Evans would be asked to guard the small forwards on the floor instead. This leads to much more likely foul problems for Tyreke, since he doesn’t have the size to contend with some of the players at that position across the league, including in the near future with upcoming games against Paul Pierce and Tayshaun Prince and in important games down the road against guys such as Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Rudy Gay. While the Pelicans lineup with Gordon inserted for Babbitt has defended very well so far this season it remains to be seen how much of that is sustainable long-term and how much is just small sample size noise that happens in eight games.
Along with that is the problem with spacing. Gordon’s going to have to take some time to get his form back, which will cause teams to increase their collapses on drives from Tyreke and Jrue Holiday. It could cause a problem for the Pelicans without a sharpshooter in the starting lineup.
Playing Gordon off the bench in place for Jimmer Fredette:
When it comes to sitting Fredette, the pros point to experience and ball movement.
With moving Austin Rivers to the point, the Pelicans gain a bench that has experience together. Other than Cunningham, all of the players on that unit will have been on the team for at least two years, which should bring comfort and quicker ball movement. Austin Rivers is the guard on the bench who can create his own shot, while Jimmer usually uses screens and specific play sets to get his shots. Gordon can fill in with Austin Rivers to create a double-threat in the backcourt, which could open up more shots for Ryan Anderson outside. And when Ryan gets hot, it’s tough to keep up with this team.
The Con of replacing Fredette with Gordon comes down to fit.
Fredette has fit fantastically alongside Rivers due to his threat from behind the arc. Unlike Gordon, Fredette is a pure-shooter, like Ryan Anderson. Having two guys who are a threat from behind the arc on a constant basis puts the defense in a precarious position. With Gordon in the game, defenses will be able to focus more of their energy on Ryan Anderson and can clog the paint more often. This takes away the only true point guard on the bench as well. Jimmer doesn’t handle the ball as much as a traditional point guard, yet he is listed as the only backup point guard, and Rivers at point has not gone well in the past. This also endangers the chemistry of the unit that has developed over the past few games. As the famous quote goes,”If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”
Playing Gordon off the bench in place for Austin Rivers:
The pros might seem small here, but this could be a sign of a long-term decision if the Pelicans make it.
If New Orleans wants to make it clear Rivers is on the trading block, this move might just give teams the green light to make the call. The Pelicans would keep the dynamic with Jimmer of a shooter alongside a slashing scorer. Rivers has a similar game set to Eric Gordon, and the move for New Orleans would be simply inserting an older and more veteran slasher-type player on the bench unit in EG. Also, being able to try to get value for a young guy could benefit them in the long haul. Then there’s the fact Rivers is the only one on the current roster struggling. In the past three games, Rivers is averaging a +/- rating of around -10. No other Pelican player has averaged a negative +/- in the past three games. Gordon could be the cog that makes the unit complete, while the Pelicans could find either a suitable SF or a backup big to help solidify the team for a real playoff run.
The con is simple. This would mean the Pelicans would give up on their youngster, who might finally be finding his game.
Austin Rivers has a big role on the current bench. Along with Ryan Anderson, the Pelicans depend a lot on him to score the basketball. While Fredette is a sharpshooter and Cunningham is a rebound/effort player with a mid-range look, Rivers is the only other option on the bench who can get his own look. It’s taken a few years, but this season has shown just what he can do with an increased roll. He’s one of the best players on the team at drawing fouls and getting to the line, shooting 2.2 free throws per game, only behind Anthony Davis, Tyreke Evans, Ryan Anderson and Omer Asik. Also, if Eric Gordon is not completely healthy, he won’t be able to drive into the lane. If Rivers is given up on and Gordon can’t drive to the lane, the Pelicans will be left without any effective guard at attacking the paint for their bench unit, which could make it tougher on Ryan Anderson.
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Playing Gordon off the bench in favor of a “small” lineup:
The pro of trying the “small” lineup would be the possibility of a spread out offense that would be tough to guard and more rest for the starters.
This lineup could be an offensive onslaught, especially to teams that don’t have the defensive personnel on their bench to guard all five players. A lineup of Fredette, Rivers, Gordon, Cunningham and Anderson has quite the offensive firepower. Having all five to run could be lethal. Also, this gives a lot more time for guys like Anthony Davis and crew to rest, and in a long season that already has seen Gordon and Asik miss extended time with injuries, every minute saved for the stars when they are needed are big. The West is clogged with talent, so the Pelicans have to find any way they can to get ahead. Running a five-guy lineup with everyone being a scoring threat is one way of doing that.
The cons of this option could have its own article, but to put it simply, the offense would be only jumpers while the defense would be atrocious.
While the offense would have five effective scorers on the floor, none of those would be able to post up to the basket. Ryan Anderson has a few post moves, but him playing the center would cancel that out. The Pelicans would have to live off of Rivers and Gordon getting to the basket without any paint presence and a ton of long jumpers from the other three guys. On the other end would be an even bigger disaster. None of the players on the current bench have much defensive game. Anderson is having a dreadful defensive season, while Austin and Jimmer are known for their lackluster defense. Adding Gordon, who would be nursing an injury and is not known as a defensive stopper either and teams could have a field day on the bench unit for the Pelicans with this strategy.
Just when it seemed like Monty Williams had the rotations figured out, he will be forced to mix it up again with Gordon’s return. So what should Monty try to do?
More than likely, Monty will cut Babbitt, Rivers and Fredette’s minutes so he can get Gordon in there at the guard. How many minutes for each player will depend on who he thinks Gordon fits best with on the floor. With Gordon to return to the lineup this week, it seems like another installment of Monty Williams’ Wheel of Rotations. How Eric Gordon and the other guards on this team will have their minutes and roles affected are in the hands of the Pelicans coach.
Only time will tell how it will work out, who will be the odd man out and how it will affect the short and long-term future of the franchise. All we know is Eric Gordon will be back on the court playing basketball for the New Orleans Pelicans. When Gordon is healthy, he is a very good basketball player. This is a positive for the Pelicans as a whole as they try to fight their way into the playoffs.
That leaves only one thing left to say: