New Orleans Pelicans: How the Pels’ defense will improve this season
The New Orleans Pelicans’ defense should be improved this season.
The New Orleans Pelicans went into the offseason with the goal of improving their defense, which was in the bottom half of the NBA last season.
However, they traded away their best defender, Jrue Holiday and let their best interior defender Derrick Favors walk in free agency, so how exactly are the Pelicans going to be better?
It’s first important to know just how the Pelicans were bad. They let up over 52 points per game in the paint, which was nearly worst in the NBA.
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The Pels also let up a lot of fast-break points and points off turnovers, two areas they will need to improve if they want to make the leap into the playoffs.
After ranking 21st in defense, it is almost certain that they will improve, but how exactly?
New Orleans Pelicans: Stan Van Gundy should improve the defense
If Alvin Gentry was good at teaching defense, he kept it well hidden.
The Pelicans were flat-out awful at times defensively last season, culminating with allowing something like 800 first-quarter points to the Kings in a must-win game in the bubble.
Stan Van Gundy was almost certainly hired because the Pelicans’ areas of defensive weakness are areas where his teams have historically been very strong.
Stan Van Gundy’s teams have been very good at limiting turnovers and transition baskets, two areas of focus for his system.
Van Gundy’s teams have been very good at closing out possessions with defensive rebounding, another area where the Pels need to improve.
SVG’s teams have always limited points in the paint allowed as well, so almost all of the areas the Pels need improvement are areas Van Gundy is skilled at teaching.
Just the coaching change alone should help the Pelicans when it comes to limiting points off turnovers and points in the paint.