The simple reason the New Orleans Pelicans needed a floor general

Post-ups are inefficient shot selections but they are slightly less inefficient when a team possesses two bigs like Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins.

One will also usually have a much shorter man on them as the small-ball movement grows into a millennium. However, 36 minutes of battling post-ups not only drains Boogie and AD but allows their defender to learn how to better stop it.

Fronting and forcing the ball handler to throw over the defender is the usual tactic. This strategy has worked unnervingly well in the first three games, especially as the team brings a help defender to sneak behind, making the pass nearly impossible.

The reason this is important is that it seems to be the default offense in the 3rd and 4th quarters. After a half, or sometimes three quarters, of motion offense, pick and rolls, and yes, some post-ups, the offense devolves completely into the latter.

The talented bigs attempt to win games on the power of their post moves alone and no guards seem to have the energy to challenge these attempts. Awkwardly standing around the perimeter like middle school boys at their first dance.

Jameer Nelson and Rajon Rondo then become more important than the average team would be comfortable with. They have the knowledge and the ability to wave their bigs out of the post and run an offense that doesn’t revolve around a wrestling match near the paint.

The offense suddenly contains ball movement and the team has direction. There is a reason the Pelicans went on a 21-11 run once Nelson came into the game in the middle of the fourth quarter against the Lakers.

The importance of players like Nelson and Rondo to this roster could be seen as a black mark against the unit but plenty of teams have inadequacies. Most teams just exist in the frontcourt and not the back.

While Jrue Holiday’s inability to direct the offense should be seen as an alarming proposition, it’s an accurate one at this point. He is prone to slow decisions and doesn’t seem to have the confidence to urge his bigs not to continually post-up.

He did plenty to help the Pelicans against the Lakers that did not need to include orchestrating the late game offense, maybe this is simply not his role, maybe it will be in the future. Right now, the Pelicans needed a floor general and Dell Demps was able to go out and grab one.

Next: New Orleans Pelicans Player(s) of the Week: Boogie and Brow

Boogie and the Brow will still be the dominant feature of this team, they simply need a little guidance. Nelson gives them that now and Rondo will hopefully give them that in the future.