2014-2015 New Orleans Pelicans Season Reviews: The 3-and-D Quincy Pondexter

. OFFENSE . A. After the first-half of the season that saw the New Orleans Pelicans struggling to find anyone to fill the small forward role on a consistent basis, Quincy Pondexter<b> </b>came to the team in a trade from the Memphis Grizzlies. He went on to have the best shooting statistics of his career. In 45 regular season games, Quincy shot 44.9% from the field, nearly a 10% increase in his shooting percentage than his numbers in Memphis and only .3% behind his best shooting year, back in 2011-2012. Pondexter doubled his points per game from his time as a Grizzly this year from 4.5 to 9 but the category that really saved the Pelicans this year was his percentage from behind the three-point line. Quincy went from shooting 23.3% from long-range in Memphis to shooting an absurd 43.3% from behind the three-point line in the 45 games in New Orleans. Those numbers helped him move up in the depth chart, eventually starting 28 games this season, more than the rest of his NBA career combined. Add in the fact that Pondexter shot over 75% from the free-throw line and posted a new career high in assists per game and you have a career offensive season for the 27-year-old from Washington. The marksmanship Pondexter exhibited all season helped the Pelicans overcome the injury to their other long-range threat in <strong><a href=.

B+. With the injury to defensive guru <strong><a href=. . . DEFENSE

A-. Of all the failed projects at starting small forward this year, from <strong><a href=. . . OVERALL