Three things to watch in the Pelicans final preseason game against Memphis

The final preseason game for the New Orleans Pelicans has arrived. This will be New Orleans’ last tune-up before the regular season starts next week. Here are three things to watch in game four against their division rivals, the  Memphis Grizzlies.

Will we see a consistent rotation?

In all three games this preseason, the Pelicans have managed to throw out various rotations. In Game one and three, we saw Ian Clark and Darius Miller early. Game two saw Jordan Crawford and Perry Jones. Tony Allen was called upon first off the bench in his first preseason appearance against Chicago Sunday.

Game one and three look to be the closest to what we’ll see come opening night. The starters playing over 30 minutes and key reserves playing anywhere between 18 and 30. With Tony Allen out, Ian Clark and Darius Miller will surely be the first two off the bench, followed by Cheick Diallo.

Cheick Diallo’s return

With 10 day contract signee Cliff Alexander logging more minutes than Alexis Ajinca, the first big man off the bench role appears to be Cheick Diallo’s to lose. Although it may only surmount to 15 minutes, Diallo has proven he can make an impact no matter how long he’s on the floor. Even after missing 2 games to injury, Diallo seems to have secured a crucial rotation spot. The only minutes Ajinca has played came in game two where,aside from Jrue Holiday, the starters sat out after the first quarter.

Ajinca finished with 12 minutes while Perry Jones, Jalen Jones, and Charles Cooke all played significantly more.  That doesn’t look like a good sign going forward for the former rotational staple.

With Diallo expected back tonight, it’ll be interesting to watch how long the talented big man plays. Outside of some foul trouble, the forward looked sharp in his 13 minutes during game one. If he’s healthy look for coach Gentry to give Diallo an extended look. He may not be the 6th man coach had dreamed of, but should be a fantastic bench player non the less.

Game two without Rondo

In multiple stretches over the past two games, the Pelicans offense has hit a few rough patches in which it showed an absence in playmaking and leadership. The reason? Rajon Rondo’s recovery from injury. Jrue Holiday was expected to carry a majority of ball handling duties, and roles looked like they would change. Until we saw them continue to swing the ball for good looks, and saw a ton of DeMarcus Cousins or “point Boogie” to go with “swingman AD”.

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In combination with Jrue Holiday still spending a bunch of time off ball cutting and curling, the offense showed promise in it’s ability not to miss a beat. Keep an eye on how smooth and comfortable New Orleans’ scoring attack looks for extended periods , and if they can find a rhythm of consistency early.