The New Orleans Pelicans’ roster is set, but the minutes must be earned starting tonight against the Miami Heat.
The New Orleans Pelicans will kick off their 2020-21 season tonight against the Miami Heat, and though it is preseason, there are plenty of things to look for.
The Pelicans will feature five new faces on the roster after trading Jrue Holiday and switching out some of their free agents for different talents.
The Pelicans prioritized defense with their free-agent signings, which is why Jahlil Okafor was let go in favor of Willy Hernangomez.
The Pels’ also hired a new coach, Stan Van Gundy, an old-school guy who will reward effort on the defensive end above all else.
This renewed focus on defense could cause some interesting roster battles, as SVG will absolutely play defense and effort over talent every time.
This is good, as it will force the young Pelicans to pick up their game or lose minutes to veterans.
The competition for rotation minutes starts tonight. Here are three battles to watch.
New Orleans Pelicans: Who will make the final rotation?
Stan Van Gundy has historically used a fairly short bench, so we can expect to see a rotation of nine, maybe ten players at most. That means there might be some talented players on the bench, which could lead to a trade down the road.
Here are three positions that are up for grabs:
Backup Power Forward
Nicolo Melli vs. Wenyen Gabriel
If you watched the end of last season then you know Nicolo Melli fell apart and suddenly couldn’t make anything. His 3-point percentage was under 20 percent down the stretch and fell to 33.5 percent overall, not exactly JJ Redick.
The Pelicans brought in Wenyen Gabriel, a strong defensive bruiser, to compete with Melli for minutes and I can tell you now, if Melli shoots 33 percent and doesn’t defend, Gabriel will take his minutes.
This is one of the battles that will illustrate the new attitude Stan Van Gundy is trying to instill. If you don’t make effort on defense, you won’t play. SVG has had good things to say about Melli’s basketball IQ and shooting, and he has a history of playing tall shooters, but if Melli doesn’t defend, Gabriel will be breathing down his neck.
This is Melli’s spot to lose, and Gabriel may not even play tonight, but eventually, he’ll get a shot if Melli falters. Competition is good and this should force Melli to focus and play with intensity.