New Orleans Pelicans: Three Landing Places for Alonzo Gee
With camp signee and NBA enigma Lance Stephenson earning minutes over him in the preseason, Alonzo Gee could be on the outside looking in for a roster spot with the New Orleans Pelicans. In a league desperate for wing talent, where else might he fit?
Alonzo Gee, without a jump shot, is a hapless NBA player. Unless a system allows him to thrive moving off the ball or a roster is barren enough to find him substantial minutes, there’s no probably reason Gee should see the court at this point in his career. After a successful season with the New Orleans Pelicans, it appears the team may have moved on, adding Lance Stephenson and giving him lots of run in the preseason. Where could Gee be headed if he’s the guy to be waived to make room for Lance?
Here are our three best guesses:
Philadelphia 76ers
Simply by way of their team-building strategy in recent years, they Sixers are the team that immediately makes sense as a possible home for an unwanted veteran. Each season, Philly embarks on a quest to find a ten-man rotation that provides some semblance of competition. Somewhere along the way, they find enough salary to make a reasonable push toward the league’s salary floor.
That’s where Alonzo Gee could come into play for the Sixers. After losing Ben Simmons to injury, coach Brett Brown will need to tinker with how he deploys his guys at the four spot. That will likely mean an increased reliance on small lineups with Robert Covington, Dario Saric or Jerian Grant at power forward. Which would in turn open up an opportunity on the wing for someone like Gee.
Although the Sixers primary needs (especially with Simmons out) are shooting and playmaking, Gee fits the mold of a veteran 76ers addition with his ability to run, a natural feel for cutting and passing, and a minimum salary. He has already taken less money to stay in the league and be in a desirable situation; if he thought Philadelphia could be that team, he would likely accept a small contract.
He is also an athletic defender capable of sticking with the league’s most fearsome scoring archetype: the playmaking wing. He can slide between wing positions, and if he were to get his jumper going, he could be a net positive on a weak team. Things could get stuffy if he were on the court with Gerald Henderson, but the shooting upside of additions like Saric, Joel Embiid, and Jerryd Bayless help in that regard.
Gee could fit here; the team only has 12 guaranteed contracts, and is currently giving undrafted rookies a deep look. Put Alonzo in a gym with those poor souls and that decision looks pretty easy.
Related Story: Landing Spots for Norris Cole outside of New Orleans
Los Angeles Lakers
If the Lakers are planning to play defense this year, they ought to take a look at Gee. While summer additions such as Luol Deng and Timofey Mosgov figure to help a unit that finished dead last in defensive efficiency last year, the front office failed to upgrade the bench whatsoever in that regard.
More from Pelicans News
- How will the Pelicans round out rotation without Trey Murphy III
- Why you can’t blame Brandon Ingram for all Team USA’s failures
- New Orleans Pelicans avoid potential disaster with latest injury reports
- 3 New Orleans Pelicans whose role will increase next season
- Pelicans getting the fans involved with their upcoming festival
Behind Deng and the developing Jordan Clarkson on the wing are a Who’s Who of Defensive Whoopsy Daisies: Lou Williams, Nick Young, Metta World Peace. Even young talent like Brandon Ingram probably isn’t moving the needle on the defensive end, and that uninspiring bunch might force coach Luke Walton to go super big and put one of Larry Nance, Jr. or Julius Randle at small forward. And you thought the other guys would struggle against good threes!
All of this is to say there’s an obvious role here for a player like Alonzo Gee. In the division, the Lakers will face Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, Devin Booker, Rudy Gay, and J.J. Redick. You have to have a guy that can put up a fight against those consistent scoring threats, and Gee can be that guy. He has the body and quickness to at least keep up and make life difficult for those scorers.
The Lakers also have less than the maximum 15 guaranteed contracts, and are using camp to decide between the likes of Metta World Peace, Thomas Robinson, and Yi Jianlian. Shore up the wing, Lake Show!
Miami Heat
With the Chris Bosh situation yet to reach its conclusion, there’s a hole on the Heat roster. While the Heat went out and created depth out of veteran retreads this summer, none of them are particularly inspiring. There are nonexplosive single-role guys like Wayne Ellington and James Johnson, there are miniscule ceiling guys like Luke Babbitt and Derrick Williams. None of them display a particular aptitude for athletic defense.
Speaking of defense, this squad’s defensive capabilities have the potential to be the hallmark of their program this year. Throw out a lineup of Goran Dragic, Josh Richardson, Dion Waiters, Justise Winslow, and Hassan Whiteside, and you’re in business. Back those dudes up with some collection of James Johnson, Tyler Johnson, Willie Reed, and someone like Gee, and you’re making a profit on that business.
These Heatles won’t be individually dynamic from top to bottom, but they have a lineup for every situation, and Gee can make a lot of them click. Want to run? Put Gee next to Dragic, Waiters, and Winslow. In the mood for some gritting and grinding? Put Gee in the Tony Allen role, cutting around a Josh McRoberts post up.
Must Read: Cheick Diallo Season Outlook
Alonzo knows how to finish when he gets the chance, having shot 70% at the rim last year. Once the Bosh situation resolves itself, the Heat will have an open roster spot. They’ll probably use it to plug a hole that pops up through injury or trade in-season considering the depth they already have, but I think they could skip the debate and plug a couple holes at once by adding Gee to their gaggle.