New Orleans Pelicans’ coach Stan Van Gundy has an up and down history of player development.
When the New Orleans Pelicans hired Stan Van Gundy they knew they were getting a respected teacher of the game, a guy who could help develop the immense talent on their roster.
With Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and Lonzo Ball, the Pelicans have some of the top under-25 players in the league, who should be able to get even better under Stan Van Gundy’s tutelage.
Van Gundy has already said that improving the defense, reducing turnovers and getting better in clutch time were areas he would focus on, three things the Pelicans struggled with last season.
Stan Van Gundy has said all of the right things so far and clearly understands where the Pelicans need to improve to be competitive in the Western Conference.
But this will be the youngest and most talented team Van Gundy has ever coached, as most of his squads have been filled with veteran players, not guys in their early 20’s who haven’t even been in a playoff game.
Van Gundy may be able to recruit some veteran free agents but is going to have a very young team either way.
We took a look back at Stan Van Gundy’s history of developing young players, from his time in Miami and Orlando to his most recent job in Detroit.
His success has been up and down, but there are some interesting patterns that emerge if you look at all of the data.
Boom or bust, Stan Van Gundy’s history of player development has run to the extremes.