New Orleans Pelicans: Should Omer Asik or Terrence Jones get more playing time?
By Rick Stone
The New Orleans Pelicans will have a tough decision on who will get more minutes on the floor between Terrence Jones and Omer Asik.
Omer Asik did not have a good 2015-2016 season for the New Orleans Pelicans.
In 68 games, Omer Asik finished with around four points, six rebounds and one turnover in just over 17 minutes per game.
This is coming off getting a brand new four year, $58 million deal. It’s a major reason he averaged nine minutes less than he did in the 2014-2015 campaign. The New Orleans Pelicans found other outlets to help them stay competitive in games.
It’s a big reason the team went out and drafted Chieck Diallo in the NBA Draft. However, Diallo’s age and inexperience will make it tough for him to get minutes in this league during his rookie season.
That’s where the signing of Terrence Jones comes into play.
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Jones comes off an injury-ridden season with the Houston Rockets, where he saw the floor in just 50 games. Yet somehow, his numbers give some light to his potential.
In around 20 minutes on the floor, Jones finished with 8.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and almost a block per game. He’s a young power forward with the capabilities to space the floor a bit.
Head Coach Alvin Gentry will be enticed to play him next to Anthony Davis a lot. Last year, guys like Dante Cunningham and even Luke Babbitt saw minutes at the four due to Asik’s ineffectiveness. With a guy who can actually bring size along with defensive and athletic upside on the roster, Gentry has to be excited.
Which brings up an interesting question: Who will play more between Asik and Jones in the 82 regular season games?
For the first part of the season, Omer Asik will get more minutes, due to his knowledge of the system. The team will likely give another go at Omer playing the starting center role to begin this season. However, the leash this year may be a bit tighter.
It would seem once that leash gets the pull, Jones is on deck….right?
Not so fast!
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The New Orleans Pelicans still do not have a ton of info on Jones’ game. And while his potential is enticing, his past woes in Houston leave a bit to be desired. Injuries have hurt a lot of Terrence Jones’ excitement. He’s missed a total of 87 games in the past three seasons combined. That’s more than 33% of games he did not play due to injury.
Then there’s his actual play. When he did return, his stats took a massive dip. Jones had averaged four more points, two and a half more rebounds and a block more per game in 2014-2015 than in 2015-2016. His shooting also took a massive drop, from 52.8% from the field to 45.2%. Still, Jones might have the upper hand on Asik for minutes.
It may very well be easier for the Pelicans to go to Dante Cunningham, even if the size differential and shooting issues Dante has may scare them. Even if that’s the argument, New Orleans seems to be going for gold this season. They will give Jones a shot on the court. If he plays well, he very well could move past Cunningham on the depth chart.
The best point towards Jones getting big minutes is the main focus on small-ball lineups. New Orleans invested in a lot of capable guards who can switch defensive assignments with ease. To balance that out, the Pelicans need their bigs to do the same. Omer Asik….let’s just say he’s not capable of that. Terrence Jones can be.
The offensive numbers are scary, yet Terrence Jones’ biggest plus could be the defensive balance he brings to the team. This is a roster that had no problems scoring last year, yet was a disaster on the defensive end. That seems like the focus Alvin Gentry will ask of Jones in his time on the floor.
If Jones can bring that, he’ll get heavy minutes. However, will it be more than Omer Asik? If Omer plays up to how he played last year, he will more than likely average ten minutes a game, in order for other bigs to get rest. The Pelicans will not get rid of him or bench him outright with his current contract. It will likely depend on how Jones’ fits into the system and if he can prove his worth early on in the season.
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It seems like the New Orleans Pelicans will be deciding and adjusting on minutes for their bigs as the season goes on. To start, it will be about comfort and the ability to work around Anthony Davis. As the season progresses, fans will see if Gentry stays with Asik’s bulk of minutes or moves them towards smaller lineups with Terrence Jones or without. It seems Terrence has the opportunity to come into a team with lower expectations and replace Omer Asik as a key cog in the Pelicans system of the future. It’s up to him if he can play well enough to earn that spot in New Orleans’ long term plans.