What the New Orleans Pelicans rotation should look like vs. Spurs
Nov 8, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs shooting guard
Manu Ginobili(20) shoots the ball past New Orleans Pelicans power forward Ryan Anderson (33) during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
The second quarter:
Tyreke Evans: All 12 minutes.
Jrue Holiday: First three minutes
Dante Cunningham: First eight minutes.
Ryan Anderson: First six minutes.
Alexis Ajinca: First three minutes
Omer Asik: Final nine minutes
Eric Gordon: Final nine minutes.
Anthony Davis: Final six minutes.
Quincy Pondexter: Final four minutes.
This is where things get a bit interesting. I would start the quarter with a lineup of Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday, Dante Cunningham, Ryan Anderson and Alexis Ajinca. Holiday and Anderson would provide the spacing that traditional wings do while Cunningham and Ajinca would be the big men on offense, a role Cunningham can play well with his range out to 16 feet.
As mentioned above though, I am skeptical about how useful Alexis Ajinca could be tonight which means getting him out early in the quarter for Omer Asik. Asik would carry the defense for the last few minutes before Anthony Davis checks back in following his biggest rest of the night. Eric Gordon should be rested enough after being taken out of the game to return and get Jrue Holiday early in the quarter, eliminating the need for Norris Cole and keeping the Pelicans best players on the floor.
Davis returns just in time to help close out the quarter and hopefully help the Pelicans keep the game close at halftime.
The key to the entire quarter though is Evans, who will be asked to play the entire quarter to make sure there are no offensive droughts. Until Davis returns the offense would run through Evans pick-and-rolls with shooters like Anderson and Holiday spotting up around him, The Pelicans have to get offense with Davis on the bench and asking an all bench unit to provide it is crazy. Evans solves that problem.
Next: Out of halftime