Pelicans: Nikola Jokic Shows Zion Williamson 3 Ways to Be a Stretch-Five

New Orleans Pelicans: Jokic closes out possessions for Denver and starts fast breaks.

Closing out Possessions

Ok, so the first thing the Pels need out of a stretch-five is not on the offensive end. Regardless of what type of center the Pelicans have, he needs to be able to close out defensive possessions by getting rebounds.

Guys like Jokic are not going to get a ton of offensive rebounds because they are often playing away from the hoop.

The Pelicans don’t really need that, as they are already one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the league.

Jokic does not get many offensive boards, but he does grab plenty on defense. This is important, as defensive rebounding is how you close out possessions and start fast breaks going the other way. Like this:

Jokic dribbling up the floor and finding an open teammate in transition (which he does a lot) or launching a full court outlet pass wouldn’t be possible if he didn’t first grab the board. Defensive rebounding is the key to fast break opportunities.

The Pels need their center to grab them because Zion really doesn’t. He’s often leaking out for a fast break dunk and not crashing the defensive boards, so the Pels need someone who does or for Zion to change his approach.

The Pelicans are middle of the pack in defensive rebounding, so regardless of how their center plays on offense, he needs to close out possessions by getting those defensive boards.