Pelica Debrief
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New Orleans Pelicans Handled Las Vegas Summer League Perfectly

By Matt Cianfrone

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Considering that they didn’t have any draft picks or young players in need of seasoning, it would have been very easy for the New Orleans Pelicans to have essentially punted on this season’s Las Vegas Summer League. New Orleans could have sent a bunch of no-name players or players with no real chance of making the NBA to Vegas to get beat up on and not bother Dell Demps and company as they prepared for the first season under a new regime.

Early on this summer it seemed like that was the plan, as early in the process of formulating rosters for Vegas the Pelicans seemed to be in rough shape. As it turns out though, Demps and company did just the opposite, taking advantage of an opportunity that was so unique to end up having a great summer session, even beyond the 5-1 record that the Summer Pelicans posted.

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    • What Demps did was collect a group of established D-League players who one day soon could develop into actual NBA role players, and give Alvin Gentry and his staff a long look at them in the Pelicans own system. Considering that the Pelicans do not have exclusive rights to an actual D-League franchise of their own, this was really the only chance the team had at seeing how players like Khem Birch, Fuquan Edwin and Larry Drew II could perform in the ways the Pelicans would want them too and it was clear that was the Pelicans purpose. All of three of those players along with Victorr Rudd and Seth Curry played significant minutes in every game the Pelicans played this summer and did so in different roles throughout each game. While it may not matter right away as it seems like only one or two have a chance to make the actual Pelicans roster to start the season, it could pay huge dividends in the long run.

    The Pelicans now have an established relationship with players like Drew II, Birch and Edwin who all may start the season overseas or in the D-League, and those players have an idea of the Pelicans system. If injuries crush the roster much like they did last season, New Orleans now has the potential to reach out to young players with upside that they could essentially plug and play and expect to contribute, instead of retreads like Toney Douglas and Gal Mekel. After seeing the young players in action all summer the Pelicans will much better understand how those guys will react to certain in-game situations, what kind of lineups they work in best and how they can effect team chemistry, things that matter for end of the bench players.

    The moves also gives the Pelicans something to sell to other young players in coming summer leagues, as New Orleans showed a commitment to playing the same players night-in-and-night-out, something that some other teams won’t do. With how important finding steals will be for the Pelicans going forward, especially if they add a second star, getting D-League prospects along the lines of Birch, Curry and Edwin to summer league is a great step.

    So despite the fact that Dell Demps may decide to not add a single player from this Las Vegas Summer League that doesn’t mean it was a waste for the Pelicans. In fact it was the farthest thing from it, as the Pelicans took complete advantage of an opportunity to gather important information for the future and continue the upward momentum the team has been on since the middle of last season.

    Next: Observations from the Summer League Finale

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