New Orleans Pelicans: 3 reasons 2020-21 will take patience
If you think the New Orleans Pelicans are going to get out to a fast start you will probably be disappointed.
My “way too early” prediction for the 2020-21 season is that the New Orleans Pelicans will get off to a slow start and probably not make the playoffs.
I know, I know. I’m a fun and optimistic guy!
Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty to be excited about for Pelicans’ fans. We have one of the most exciting players in the league in Zion Williamson.
Related Story. Grading the Pelicans' offseason so far. light
Brandon Ingram just signed a max extension, Lonzo Ball is going to make a leap and Steven Adams is going to bring some toughness to one of last season’s softest teams.
The Pelicans could put it all together, gel quickly and surprise some people by making the jump into the playoffs, but it’s more than likely that they won’t.
Here’s why.
Why the New Orleans Pelicans will start slowly in 2020-21
The New Coach
The Pelicans were looking for a culture change when they fired Alvin Gentry and hired Stan Van Gundy.
Van Gundy has a history of teaching his teams how to take care of the ball, how to get back and commit on defense and how to prevent easy buckets at the rim.
These all happen to be areas where the Pelicans struggled last year, so having a new coach who is focused on defense and taking care of the ball should strengthen those weaknesses.
But that is going to take time.
Stan Van Gundy’s system is much different than Gentry’s particularly on defense, where Van Gundy preaches not selling out, not overcommitting to offensive rebounding and getting back to prevent fast breaks.
SVG won’t be afraid to bench someone for not running back, so the Pels could spend the beginning of the season learning the hard way.
Stan Van Gundy is going to ask some of the Pels to do different things on offense as well. Zion will handle the ball more. Ingram might initiate the offense from the perimeter. Lonzo could play more off the ball.
All of these changes are going to take time to implement and the Pels are running out of it already.