New Orleans Pelicans Need Quincy Pondexter to be a Sniper
By Rick Stone
For the New Orleans Pelicans to be successful this upcoming season, they will need small forward Quincy Pondexter to a sniper from behind the arc.
The New Orleans Pelicans have gone through quite a few changes, with only eight players on the roster returning from last year’s team.
One of the most important players of that bunch is one that did not play at all the previous season.
Small forward Quincy Pondexter sat out the 2015-2016 campaign due to a left knee injury. After two surgeries, he looks to return back to the court with the effectiveness he had two year ago.
His shooting was a big reason the Pelicans were able to get into the playoffs, as he shot 43.3% from behind the three-point line in his 45 games for New Orleans. For the Pelicans to get back to the postseason, his shooting will be a big key.
New Orleans’ roster has changed, with new forward Solomon Hill looking to take over the starting role. He’s a good shooter who can be a very effective defender. However, it’s not a certainty he’ll fit well at the small forward slot.
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With his ability to play the four, the Pelicans could very well move Hill to the Power Forward. This works well with Anthony Davis playing center. That’ll leave the small forward slot open for Pondexter in most small-ball lineups. Add along centers Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca‘s struggles to fit into the system and Pondexter could see the floor a lot.
The shooting prowess of the other keys to the cog are not yet a certainty. Point Guard Jrue Holiday is also returning from an injury. He’s playing Point Guard as well, arguably the toughest position in the NBA. He’ll need to guard a great player and facilitate an offense every night. Trying to be a sniper may compound to his struggles.
Then there’s shooting guards Buddy Hield and E’Twaun Moore. Both are great shooters and can be labeled “Sniper”. Still, Hield just got out of college and will have growing pains in his first year. Moore just came from the Chicago Bulls and will need time to adjust to the new system.
Case in Point? There’s only one established player on this team who has the role of “Sniper” and can fill it right out of the gate: Quincy Pondexter.
This is a team that will face a lot of tough challenges to start the brand new campaign. A lot of youngsters to establish in the system. A LOT of new defensive schemes to bring in to play. There’s plenty of things to work on for this young Pelicans team.
This is a team that needs shooting to succeed on offense. Head Coach Alvin Gentry loves spacing the floor. Hard to do that when the shooting is not there. Quincy Pondexter has shown he is capable of that role. He forces help defense off other players. He gives Davis and Holiday space. There is not another three on this team that can do that in game one of the season.
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It’s not going to be easy off an injury, but the New Orleans Pelicans need Quincy Pondexter to come out with a bang. From game one, they need him to be able to space the floor, make threes and open up the offense for the youngsters to develop and learn. The pressure is on the young man traded to the team just two years ago to become the rock other players can thrive from on the Pelicans.