Was Ian Clark’s absence Thursday a sign of things to come?

Alvin Gentry has shown a tendency to change up his rotations without warning. Outside of the core players, minutes and roles have fluctuated depending on performance and situation. As Rajon Rondo’s return nears, minutes and roles are likely to change again. Thursday’s game against the Raptors may have been a peak of who the odd man out may indeed be.

We’ve seen guys like Cheick Diallo go from being the first player off the bench to not logging a single minute.

Josh Smith was able to leave the bench three out of four games after being acquired. A little bit over two weeks later and he’s being released. We knew Smith’s signing was only temporary, they needed to fill out a roster spot until Rajon Rondo returned.

A big man made the most sense, and though it didn’t work out, it was worth the gamble. Before Darius Miller re-emerged over the Pelicans road trip, he experienced a cut in minutes, just to have another opportunity to prove himself.

So what does this have to do with Ian Clark?

Well, with Rondo scheduled to return approximately on November 17th, the rotation is going to change again. This time, minutes won’t strictly come down to performance, it’s also a numbers game. The Pelicans for once may have too many players.

When the season started a guy like Tony Allen may have appeared to be the odd man out or maybe Jameer Nelson’s minutes were scheduled to be chopped in half.  Either one of those scenarios sounded more likely than what currently appears.

Clark averaged 22 minutes a game for the month of October, averaging 7 ppg on 43 percent shooting from three. Five games through November, things are drastically different. Clark has averaged 12 minutes a game, 2.8 points on 25 percent shooting from deep. Those are not numbers that will allow Gentry to keep Clark as an essential part of the rotation once Rondo returns. Hell, in Thursday’s game against Toronto, Clark didn’t log a single minute. Some will point to Jrue Holiday’s performance but he was already averaging a high in minutes at 37 per game.

The Pelicans currently have Jameer Nelson, Tony Allen, Holiday, and E’Twaun Moore all playing well. That doesn’t leave much room for Ian Clark who is clearly struggling.

What about when the Pelicans go to a three-guard lineup?

As of now, the Pelicans roster seems to project this way:

PG: Rondo/Jameer
SG:Jrue/Moore/Allen
SF: Cunningham/Miller/Allen
PF: AD/Cunningham/Miller?
C: Boogie/Diallo Nobody

When the Pelicans go small there should have been room for Clark. However, we should now expect either Rondo or Nelson to always be on the floor, similar to the Boogie/AD setup. That would mean, Clark would have to play more shooting guard or small forward. Clark would have to beat out Allen, Moore, Cunningham, or Miller to make that happen. With all of those guys currently playing better or being able to offer more on the floor, that proposition seems unlikely.

Where does that leave Clark?

Doesn’t seem like there’s an answer just yet. Clark could end up playing 5-7 minutes in a pinch, or maybe 15 the next. Maybe Clark could force himself into more minutes like Darius Miller did. Gentry has shown that his rotations are sometimes performance-based, other times matchup based.

If we had to guess now, the future looks murky for a signing that many were ecstatic about. That may leave Clark as a foul trouble/injury replacement. Regardless of the depth that provides the Pels, it’s probably not the role Clark envisioned when he was brought aboard.

That’s not a completely doomed diagnosis for Ian Clark, he’s had his swell moments this season. It more so seems like a numbers and position game that just doesn’t liken itself to Ian getting major minutes.

Next: When it comes to Jrue Holiday, the more the better

Maybe things will change, but as it currently appears, the Pels are getting ready for Rondo’s return. Which means we may be getting ready for a lot less Ian Clark.