Pelica Debrief
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New Orleans Pelicans Summer League: Observations from Pelicans win over Golden State Warriors

By Matt Cianfrone

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For the first time this summer the New Orleans Pelicans lost the first quarter when a slow start caused them to fall behind 24-16 after one. Then they lost the first half as despite a better second quarter the team headed into the break trailing 46-45. Then the second half started and the Pelicans did what they had done all summer and exploded offensively behind nice performances from Larry Drew II, Seth Curry, Victor Rudd and Fuquan Edwin to eventually pull away from the Golden State Warriors and win 100-91 to advance to Sunday night’s Las Vegas Summer League Tournament semifinals. Some observations on the game:

Curry Cooked:

It took some time for the shots to fall but eventually Seth Curry got going. It is amazing how quickly the younger Curry heats up as it took just a made free throw to see his confidence rise and allow him to jump-start a quick scoring binge. It was a tough night for Curry who had to deal with reigning D-League Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Craft, but he did well by not forcing many shots and letting the game come to him. As he has done all summer Curry once again proved he can score at an NBA level. 

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Edwin Shines: 

Fuquan Edwin had a great game tonight for the Pelicans, knocking in two threes and finishing a few difficult shots inside. While he did struggle a bit defensively tonight including a play where he lost his man on a cut, Edwin has defended well enough at every level he has played at to give the Pelicans confidence that can translate. What needs to continue to remain improved is the jump shooting which is what made a night like tonight so important and impressive.

Birch Blocks in Bunches: 

Khem Birch was magnificent tonight with his shot blocking. Despite what Isiah Thomas was saying, Birch has great length and athleticism and understands how to use those tools to protect the rim. Even when he wasn’t blocking shots tonight he made a difference and his hands turned some tough passes from Larry Drew II into dunks on offense. I continue to think he should be an NBA player somewhere this season. Especially over guys like Ryan Hollins and Kendrick Perkins who have been in rumors this summer.

Rudd Ran Wild: 

I don’t know if Victor Rudd shoots enough to be an NBA player but he is a great transition player and that showed tonight. With his athleticism Rudd is a problem for many power forwards and he often will grab a rebound and try to run a break by himself. That works in this setting but against more athletic players like Serge Ibaka, Derrick Favors and others it won’t which limits his NBA usefulness until the ugly line drive jumper gets fixed.

That said Rudd has a great “ugly game” between those straight line jumpers and tough awkward finishes inside. At the very least he should be a summer league and D-League force for another couple of years.

This Team is Talented: 

The Pelicans are winning games in part because of the new system that Alvin Gentry and his staff have in place but also because of talent. Rudd, Curry, Drew II, Edwin and Birch were all above-average players in the D-League last year and play a lot for this team. Add in guys like Jarvis Varnado, a former D-League and NBA player, and the Pelicans talent is probably getting underrated a bit in this undefeated run. Great job by Dell Demps of putting together this roster and giving the Pelicans a bit of control in regards to situational looks at players that he could pick from for camp invites and beyond.

Demps Discussions: 

Dell Demps joined the broadcast team tonight and for the most part told us stuff we already knew like Alvin Gentry’s system and pace made him appealing to the Pelicans. There were a few other interesting things though.

First was that Demps spoke about Anthony Davis and using the three-pointer, saying Davis is working on adding the corner three now and will be a good three-point shooter in time. While we saw videos of Davis working from behind the arc recently seeing Demps talk about this clearly means it was an organizational idea and not Davis just messing around after a workout, something that is encouraging. AD is going to be unlike anything we have ever seen very soon.

Second was Demps talking about Seth Curry. When asked about the report that Curry is potentially going to be offered a guaranteed deal soon, Demps was non-committal. But reading between the lines seemed to imply that the Pelicans may be heading in that direction soon, barring crazy circumstances. Demps also mentioned Drew II as an NBA player but he seemed more impressed and interested in Curry for the short interview.

The Pelicans now play Sunday at 7 pm CT with a chance to make it to Monday night’s final round.

Next: The Report About Curry

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