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New Orleans Pelicans Rank: Quincy Pondexter’s career has been revived by returning to where it all started

By Rick Stone

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It was just five years ago that Quincy Pondexter‘s NBA journey began after four strong years at the University of Washington. His dream was realized with the 26th pick in the draft as the Oklahoma City Thunder decided to draft Pondexter. While it seemed Pondexter would be headed to OKC, that changed when draft day trade sent him to New Orleans to start his NBA journey.

New Orleans was a team strong with veteran talent. From Chris Paul to David West, the team had plenty of potential to make a run in the postseason. Pondexter found himself behind Trevor Ariza, learning from one of New Orleans’ best “Three-and-D” players in their franchise history. It was a solid first year for Pondexter, as he played in 66 games and even started in six of those. His numbers weren’t very strong, but he was a rookie. It would take time to develop those skills. He would not get the chance to do that in New Orleans.

After a first round exit in the playoffs, New Orleans had a fire sale, trading away many of their best players. Quincy Pondexter was a part of a trade in New Orleans’ pursuit to replace star point guard Chris Paul with young electric guard Greivis Vasquez. After getting comfortable in New Orleans, he now found himself in Memphis with the Grizzlies, backing up Rudy Gay. It still seemed like a decent home for Pondexter as he tried to find a rhythm in his NBA career.

For the next two seasons, things seemed to go pretty well for Quincy. He played in over 50 games both years and averaged over 15 minutes a game in each. His numbers didn’t show great improvement however, still shooting under 43% from the field and under 40% from behind the three-point line. He also sprained his MCL in the 2012-2013 season, limiting his games and output for a good portion of the year. Even with the struggle in numbers and injury, Quincy earned himself an extension from the Grizzlies to stay the backup for Rudy Gay. Memphis seemed to become his NBA home.

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Soon after he recovered from his MCL sprain, the injury bug hit Pondexter again. This time, much harder. Quincy played only 15 games in the next year before developed a stress fracture in his foot, costing him the rest of the 2013-2014 season. It was a huge blow to Quincy and to the Memphis Grizzlies, who traded Rudy Gay away that year and were starting veteran small forward Tayshaun Prince. The Grizzlies, still fighting for playoff contention, had to improvise with signings and moves for other players to play the position.

When Pondexter returned just last year, the Grizzlies still had plans for him to backup Prince at the small forward. However, his numbers fell pretty hard when he returned. Pondexter only shot 35.6% from the field and 23.3% from behind the three-point line in 30 games for Memphis. His assists fell to under one a game and his rebounds fell to under two a game. The Grizzlies, who were still having success in the regular season, began playing players such as Vince Carter and even Tony Allen at the backup small forward over Quincy. He was losing his role.

In an attempt to upgrade the small forward, the Grizzlies made a trade with the Boston Celtics for Jeff Green. Not needing Pondexter, Memphis decided to see who would want the struggling youngster. A familiar name came calling.

The New Orleans Pelicans, who were already looking to trade Austin Rivers to the Celtics, became a part of the deal. While Rivers went to Boston and Green to the Grizzlies, the Pelicans saw Pondexter return to the bayou for the first time since the 2010-2011 season. Jumping right into a new team with a weak small forward spot saw expectations for Pondexter grow.

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    • The Pelicans had been running Dante Cunningham at the starting small forward before Quincy’s arrival. For a while, New Orleans stuck with that strategy. However, Pondexter started to have a lot of success with the starting core. His outside shooting was strong. He was able to get to the foul line at a decent rate. His defense helped hold down opposing small forwards. In late February, the New Orleans Pelicans decided to start him after a disastrous loss to the Orlando Magic. The team then went on a five game win streak, including a win against the Brooklyn Nets where Pondexter scored a career high 25 points. That was followed by an 18 point game against the Miami Heat in another major win against an Eastern Conference team.

    From that moment until the Pelicans were eliminated in the playoffs, Pondexter was the man starting at the small forward spot for New Orleans. His shooting numbers that year were much better than his career averages. He shot barely under 45% from the field and a staggering 43.3% from behind the arc in 45 games in New Orleans last year. His rebounds per game surpassed three-per for the first time in his career. He set season highs in steals per game, blocks per game and points per game, where he averaged nine points per game.

    Even with an injury that could cost him time at the beginning of next year, Quincy Pondexter is widely considered the best small forward on the New Orleans Pelicans roster. He now has an important role on a team that has playoff aspirations, like he did in Memphis. This time, however, that role is no longer backing anyone up.

    He is the one expected to be in the starting lineup every night with the rest of the stars on the team. Going from a player who was about to lose his role as a backup on a Western Conference playoff team to a starter on another, Pondexter found a second life to his NBA career in the place where it all began. It’s up to him to make the best of the second opportunity  he now has in New Orleans and build on what could be a long and exciting NBA career going forward.

    Next: The Play that Defines Q-Pon

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