While the New Orleans Pelicans are starting to find some fire in their primary rotation, their bench is far from set in stone for the rest of the year.
Heading into the final stretch of the 2019-2020 season, the New Orleans Pelicans have learned a lot about the future and present of their roster, for better and worse.
However, their second unit has left a lot of question marks that’ll have to be answered over the next few weeks, if not in the summer.
When the Pelicans announced that J.J. Redick would be out for at least two weeks with a hamstring injury, there was hope that other members of the bench would rise to the occasion.
Nicolò Melli aside, the New Orleans bench has been pretty lifeless since Redick went down on Feb 28. They’re averaging 25.5 points over the six-game stretch, which ranks 24th in the NBA.
Injuries are a part of the game, but it’s troubling that certain members of the bench have been such a negative for this team
No one in the starting lineup has really underperformed.
Sure, some would argue Derrick Favors isn’t adding the same value as many had hoped, but he’s been key against traditional centers and looks good handling the easy offensive opportunities created by the New Orleans offense.
Too often, the New Orleans Pelicans lose their edge on offense when Alvin Gentry has to get rest for the top-seven in their rotations.
Throughout the entire year, the New Orleans Pelicans’ bench has been a struggling group, often providing a very tangible drop off from the starting unit, especially when it comes to keeping the ball in motion.
Where Redick provides excellent ball movement and spacing, many members of the Pelicans bench are happy to let the offense stop with the ball in their hands, too often taking forced shots that leave a sour taste in the mouths of fans.
Absent from this list is Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who would’ve certainly been listed if it weren’t for the hairline fracture in his wrist that’ll seemingly keep him out for the remainder of the regular season.
Nickeil “sidelined indefinitely” while dealing with a hairline fracture in his wrist. pic.twitter.com/Pbn9hI1YhG
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) March 7, 2020
Even if the Pelicans find a way into the playoffs, it’s hard to imagine Alexander-Walker will be available by the start of the first round, but even if he is, it’s practically impossible to imagine he’ll get minutes in a potential series.
Further, if the Pelicans were forced to thrust Alexander-Walker into their rotations this late in the season, that wouldn’t be a very good sign for their playoff hopes as a whole.
While they won’t have to worry about getting the rookie involved in the final stretches of the season, there are certain players on this team who really need to start bringing the New Orleans Pelicans a little more intensity in their rotations.