This piece starts a mini-series titled “Offseason Oversight”. Today’s look will be at how an offseason spent addressing the guard and big man rotations leaves the New Orleans Pelicans ill-prepared on the wing.
“I wish everyone knew how much I’m working and dedicating my life to getting back on the court”. Somber words, yes, and ones unfortunate to hear on the eve of training camp last Friday, as the New Orleans Pelicans head into an important training camp. The story of Quincy Pondexter in New Orleans is a complicated one. He was a massive factor in the team’s return to the playoffs in 2015, as well as a primary reason they failed to follow that season with improvement. Health, bad luck, and some questionable decision-making concerning his playing time have led to 16 months without full-contact basketball activity for Q-Pon. Ugh.
Coupled with fellow impact wing Tyreke Evans’ injury status (three arthroscopic knee surgeries from May 2015 to February 2016), there’s cause for worry heading into camp. Even with the gains the Pelicans made on the bench and in the margins, the roster will be worse off minus these two players. Considering that, at the very best, we knew these players would have lingering issues from their long rehabilitations, how did the Pelicans not do more to address this during the offseason?
In June, the wing problems seemed to be a focus, when the Pelicans drafted Oklahoma superstar Buddy Hield. Hield figured to be a long-term solution at the two spot, replacing Eric Gordon. Heading into July, it was reasonable to believe the team would add a few more pieces in that slot. Instead, it handed Solomon Hill $48 million and moved on to the rest of the roster. Rumors and common sense have Hill manning the three spot in the starting lineup before moving to the four in smaller lineups to maximize his value. So who fills the rest of those minutes?
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There’s no easy answer. One is the possibility of more three-guard lineups in New Orleans this season. Such lineups would fit nicely with what Alvin Gentry hopes to do on offense (run), but pose difficult questions on the defensive end.
Chief among them: who moves up a position on defense and guards the bigger players? Langston Galloway is a bulldog, capable of quaking peskiness a la Patrick Beverley, but isn’t tall enough to make that transition smooth. E’Twaun Moore will do well in his smaller frame to stop opposing off-guards, let alone the Harrison Barnes or Rudy Gay’s of the league. Throwing Buddy into the fire in that way would be dangerous; defense was a struggle for him in college, and even though he has the physical tools to capitalize, he’s a rookie and will struggle defending his own position. There’s no easy answer here.
Tyreke’s value came in the way he could transition between positions on each end of the floor, possessing the play-making skills to handle the ball on offense before swinging back into a wing defender on the other end. The fit was messy, sure, and the defense was inattentive, but it was a more natural advantage for the Pelicans. Pondexter is similarly versatile when healthy; with the quickness to stay in front of guards and the size to match up with wing scorers, he fits nicely as a lead defender in the mold of Kawhi Leonard or Andre Iguodala. The shooting and ability to dribble were just bonuses most of the time.
Unfortunately, the free agency market saw second-tier options like Jared Dudley and Wesley Johnson return to familiar situations, while guys like Luol Deng and Lance Thomas found nice paydays elsewhere. There wasn’t a lot cooking, and the Pelicans will have to roll the dice that their mishmash of Alonzo Gee, Dante Cunningham and Hill will be enough until Jrue Holiday returns and the rotation sorts itself out.
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For a team whose schedule is front-loaded and who will already be without its bona fide second banana, that’s not a risk easily taken. Though for the Pelicans, such health-related risks are becoming the norm.