New Orleans Pelicans: A new starting lineup with Lonzo Ball off the bench

New Orleans Pelicans: Should Lonzo Ball move to the bench?

A Bench built around Lonzo Ball’s strengths

I’ve written that Stan Van Gundy is not getting the most out of Lonzo Ball’s talent. One way to get him going is to move him to the bench where he can play with guys who want to move and run more than the Pelicans’ grind-it-out starting five.

•PG-Lonzo Ball

•SG-J.J. Redick

•SF-Josh Hart

•PF-Zion Williamson

•C-Jaxson Hayes

Stan Van Gundy used a similar lineup against the Kings and it looked great in two bursts in the first and third quarter. The only difference was that he used Kira Lewis Jr. at point guard.

This lineup can get out in transition, which is where Lonzo shines. Both Zion Williamson and Jaxson Hayes can set screens for Redick and Lonzo can find him flying off them or hit Zion as he rolls to the rim.

When Zion goes to the bench, this unit gets even faster when Brandon Ingram enters at power forward.

Again, this small-ball lineup has been effective in short bursts and is one SVG should use to generate transition points and ball movement.

When Redick goes out, NAW comes back in with Steven Adams for a lineup of Ball, NAW, Hart, Ingram and Adams.

This will allow both NAW and Lonzo to get the chance to be the primary playmakers and use what they do best, which in NAW’s case is getting to the rim and in Lonzo’s is setting up teammates in transition.