With the New Orleans Pelicans’ roster filled with young guards, who will end up winning the job of backup point guard to start the upcoming season?
The New Orleans Pelicans have quite the conundrum at backup Point Guard.
As the front office brought in a plethora of young talented players, they have put themselves in a tricky situation. With the starting Point Guard filled in with Jrue Holiday, the question beckons who will back him up.
It’s not the easiest question to answer.
There are three viable options to back up Holiday. Each have their own strengths and weaknesses to the job. The first of those options is the man who finished 2016 as the true backup point.
Frazier became the backup point guard to Toney Douglas when Jrue went down with an injury. The numbers he put up in those 16 games impressed many. Frazier set an average of 13.1 points, 7.5 assists, 4.4 rebounds per game and shot 45% from the field.
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His ability to facilitate the offense on a consistent basis kept the Pelicans competitive in games they could have very well been blown out of without him. The question really comes down to if his defense can hold up.
Offensively, Frazier did very well. The defensive end became a weakness, as he found himself in foul trouble on quite a consistent basis, averaging almost three fouls a game. While his inside scoring is strong, he does not bring much long-range action and struggles from the free-throw line.
The next option for the New Orleans Pelicans is to bring in one of the new signings to the backup point. Langston Galloway and E’Twaun Moore could both end up filling that role. Which one is the better fit and if they surpass Frazier’s potential is the question.
Galloway spent some time playing point on the New York Knicks. It was a mixed bag. Some of his best skills are parallel to Frazier. He can facilitate the offense and is fairly well on being careful with the ball. He is also a stronger defender than Frazier and is more careful with fouls.
The weaknesses of his game are a bit scarier than Tim’s. His assist numbers are fairly low for a point guard at 3.3 per game. He also struggles even more shooting, with lower numbers than Frazier in his 45 games with New York last year. Still, he did play some time off the Point Guard slot, negating some of those weak numbers.
E’Twaun Moore has the least polish of the ideas at Point. Moore spent only 21.4 minutes per game on the floor last year, with a lot of that not playing Point Guard. His assists per game are low and he lacks experience. It’s hard to see him get the slot, since he’s more suited for a shooting guard role on this team.
The final option is the most perplexing. Tyreke Evans.
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Evans has shown the capability in the past to lead a bench unit to success. His exceptional numbers in Sacramento are the main reason Dell Demps did so much to get him. The biggest strength he brings is his ability to attack.
While Frazier did have success last year, Evans is the master at breaking down defenses with his drives. On a team that needs penetration to open up shooting, Tyreke fills the hole well. As far as talent goes, Evans is the winner of this group.
However, his issues are why the New Orleans Pelicans went out and made so many moves.
Injuries have plagued Tyreke Evans ever since he stepped foot in New Orleans. He has not been able to stay on the court long enough to make a positive impact for a full season. Then there’s the recklessness, which when he’s on the court can cause mayhem for the offense.
While he can be successful attacking a defense, he can also lose the ball and rack up turnovers in an instant. This leaves the Pelicans wide open for other strong transition teams to punish them.
The decision on backup Point Guard is not easy for Head Coach Alvin Gentry. Each has strengths and weaknesses they can bring to this New Orleans depth. Figuring out which will fit best with the rest of the lineup will be a big factor in this team’s success.
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The New Orleans Pelicans will be making an impactful decision when they decide who will be backing up Jrue Holiday. It could change at multiple moments of the season. However, finding the right cog in that slot could mean the difference between a playoff-fringe team and a bottom-dwelling team. This decision could make the difference in a highly anticipated campaign to come.