New Orleans Pelicans: 3 methods Gentry can use to save slow start

Not off to the start the team had hoped, the winless New Orleans Pelicans need to change things up to avoid falling into an early-season hole.

Riding into the season with a perfect 5-0 record in the preseason, it was hard to imagine the new-look New Orleans Pelicans starting the season off 0-3, despite playing fairly robust competition.

While they’re not getting blown out by any means, averaging a 6-point margin of loss and without a double-digit loss on the books, they’re, at the end of the day, a very competitive team in a crowded Western Conference.

To open the season on the road against the defending champion Toronto Raptors on their ring night was a tall task, which resulted in a gutty, 122-130 overtime loss. The Dallas Mavericks have a talented core and the Pels took a 116-123 loss from that bunch. Then, the team kept it close with Houston Rockets stars, James Harden and Russell Westbrook, but for a 123-126 loss.

When the Golden State Warriors ride into the Smoothie King Center on Monday night, it’ll be the battle of two new-look teams trying to pick up their first win of the 2019-2020 NBA Season. The Warriors have won the last five Western Conference crowns, so being winless early in the season is still something new for their organization.

Interestingly, both units are learning to live new lives after losing top-five players in the offseason. Kevin Durant headed to the Brooklyn Nets, while Anthony Davis was swapped to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The biggest problems with the New Orleans Pelicans derive from their lack of on-court chemistry, which is a kind of problem that can only be solved with time, focus, and experimentation.

Knowing Zion Williamson won’t be back until late November on the most optimistic timelines, Head Coach Alvin Gentry has to find a way to get his team functioning at a higher level than they’ve been able to reach during this winless start.

Scoring the ball with some ease, the Pelicans are averaging the sixth-most points in the league to start the season, pouring in 120.3 points per night to start the year.

However, the team has the 28th-ranked defensive rating in the league at 114.8 points given up per 100 possesions. They’ve also allowed the most second-chance points in the league, allowing 16.7 points per game to come on extra looks.

As the New Orleans Pelicans quest through the next 79 games of the season, they’ll have to solidify their defense without too much consequence on the offensive end. Gentry still has a lot of learning to do about this deep roster.

However, it seems like a few key lineup moves could pivot the team’s bad luck. Gentry needs to take a look at the first week of action and realize which guys are doing which things to make the team better as a whole.

Brandon Ingram needs to be the focal point of the New Orleans Pelicans until Zion is back in action

Saving his new contract to be dealt with in the offseason, Brandon Ingram is on a tear to start off the year in New Orleans.

Ingram is finding comfort in a leading the Pelicans charge to start the season. Including 35 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists in an outing against the Houston Rockets, Ingram has looked in command and control of a Pelicans offense that hasn’t always looked in-sync to start the year.

Displaying his comfort in the new city, Brandon Ingram told Mark Medina of USA Today of the impact the new team has had on his own enjoyment with the New Orleans Pelicans.

"“I would say this is a better environment,” Ingram said. “There are a lot of genuine people here that are pretty solid. No shame to the Lakers because they are a high-class organization. They do everything well and have a good fan base. But I like this spot.”"

Ingram is leading the team in usage to start the year with a 28% rate, but it would probably be beneficial to see that number tick even higher.

Leading the team in points, blocks, and rebounds to start the season, Ingram has been a captivating new menace for the league to try and stop. Averaging 27.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game, he’s been incredible to watch go to work.

Scoring at an out-of-his-mind clip to start the season, Ingram is shooting 52.5% from the floor, but a mind-bending 52.6% rate from three-point range, attempting 6.3 looks from that territory per game thus far, both of which are better clips than he posted for the Lakers in any of his first three seasons.

For now, Holiday needs to keep finding ways to get Brandon Ingram the ball, because he is feasting for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Whether it’s renewed comfort or simply another year’s development putting the wind in his sails, he’s been captivating through three games. Even when Zion Williamson returns to the floor, Ingram could be counted on as the team’s primary scoring option.

Keep Kenrich Williams & Nicolò Melli on the floor, while giving Jahlil Okafor his own opportunities

One of the clearest things for the team is that there’s a need to find consistency off the bench, as Gentry has employed different looks in each game of the season. Against Toronto, he tried 12 players, then an 11-man rotation against Dallas, with a 10-man group most recently in Houston.

Even heading into the preseason, the bench picture for the New Orleans Pelicans was going to be a tricky group to balance.

Playing positive roles off the New Orleans Pelicans, Kenrich Williams, Nicolò Melli and Jahlil Okafor look set for stalwart spots on Alvin Gentry’s bench. All three can give the team a two-way boost, without too much of a falloff from the team’s starting bunch.

Williams hasn’t found his stride yet on the offensive end, averaging 4.7 points and shooting 30.8%, but is often involved in the team’s top-rated lineups. With the second-lowest defensive rating on the team to start the season, he’s been crucial to the team’s bench defense.

On the other hand, Melli has been pouring in shots for the New Orleans Pelicans bench at a high and efficient rate atop the campaign. He’s averaging 9.3 points while shooting 57.1% from three, a very good clip for a rookie in his first three career NBA games.

With Derrick Favors still trying to find his footing, Okafor has been solid off the bench, averaging 6 points and 3.3 rebounds, but is shooting 80% from the floor and has a team-high 154 offensive rating to start the campaign. If Favors continues to struggle, it’ll be hard for Gentry to keep Okafor out of the starting lineup.

While Melli, Williams, and Okafor aren’t all household names, especially in the case of Kenrich and Nicolò, they’re crucial to this Pelicans bench as it currently stands.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Nickeil Alexander-Walker to start the rookie’s regular season. After staring in Summer League and preseason action, Alexander-Walker has struggled shooting the rock to start his year.

Getting better play off the bench can oftentimes come from just playing fewer and better players, allowing them to find their role in a system. Overall, the New Orleans Pelicans have some role finding and evaluation left to do as they continue to solve their woes.

Gentry needs to find balance in the New Orleans Pelicans’ guard rotation, especially late in games

Starting off the year with such a hefty portfolio of guards, Alvin Gentry has been tasked with trying a find a way to give all of his players the minutes they deserve.

In the first game of the season in Toronto, Alvin Gentry made a truly mystifying decision to sit Redick and Ball down the stretch. Lonzo Ball sat the entire fourth quarter before looking to him to factor into the team’s eventual overtime collapse.

Ball is averaging 13.7 points and 6.7 assists, with a lot of the Pelicans offense running through his ball movement, in addition to Jrue Holiday‘s own influence in the passing game.

Redick is averaging 11 points and shooting 47.4% from three-point range to start his run as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans.

While Ball and Redick sometimes have limitations, they’ve played well in starting roles and Alvin Gentry cannot afford to go away from their skillsets late in games this season. They’re both two of the more established players on the entire roster, though Redick is 12 years older than Ball.

Off the bench, Josh Hart and Frank Jackson are putting together impressive starts to the season.

One of the few holdovers from last year’s roster, Jackson is getting to the rim and averaging 9.3 points and 1.7 assists as the team’s scoring-and-defensive guard off the bench.

Hart is crushing it from three-point range, hitting a few big looks from that territory while shooting 40.7% to start the year. He’s also averaging the second-most points on the team, recording 18 per game so far in the campaign.

For others in the guard rotation, it’s not been as fruitful of a start.

As previously mentioned, Nickeil Alexander-Walker isn’t having the impact most had hoped after watching him thrive in the exhibition activities of the last few months. Averaging 3.7 points and 2.7 assists, he’s playing like a rookie, which is kind of surprising.

Playing out-of-control, as teams have started to leave him wide-open to shoot a 21.4% rate from three, though he’s attempting 4.7 of those shot types per night.

While the team wishes they could rely on their star veteran guard in Jrue Holiday, he’s been off to a slow start to the 2019-2020 season. Holiday is averaging just 10.5 points, shooting 30.8% from the floor, 66.7% from the free-throw line, and a truly disappointing 11.1% from three-point range.

Simply, Alvin Gentry has to rely on the guys who come through or have at least played well to start the season. Holiday will have to remain on the floor, but he really needs to start hitting a higher percentage of his looks from three-point territory.

This Pelicans team is blessed with a deep roster of guards, but balance is going to be the key to keeping all of these players happy and thriving throughout the 2019-2020 NBA season.