The New Orleans Pelicans finally ended all of the suspense surrounding the status of Josh Hart, re-signing the popular bench player to a 3-year deal.
Restricted free agent G Josh Hart is closing in on a three-year, $38 million deal to stay with the New Orleans Pelicans, his agents Aaron Mintz, Steven Heumann and Dave Spahn of @CAA_Basketball tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 16, 2021
Pelicans’ fans seemed mostly happy about this, as the deal is fair for both the team and Hart, and could end up being a great value for the Pels if Hart finds another level.
Hart is a plus rebounder and a pretty good defender and has provided energy and hustle off the Pels’ bench. But he hasn’t been great, certainly not worthy of the 6th Man of the Year award, so does he have any chance to get there?
Let’s start with the obvious, Josh Hart has no chance to win the 6th Man of the Year award unless the New Orleans Pelicans are good, so if the Pels are out of the playoffs again you can forget it.
But I think the Pelicans might surprise some people, still have a big trade lurking up their sleeve, so if they can at least make the play-in Josh Hart might get a look.
Here’s what he has to do to have any chance at all.
New Orleans Pelicans: Josh Hart needs to make 3-pointers
Josh Hart shot 39.6 percent from 3-point range in his rookie season but it’s been downhill ever since, culminating in last season when he shot a career-worst 32 percent.
Hart is going to get open looks, as are all of the guys who play with Zion Williamson, but he has to knock them down.
Hart got plenty of wide-open shots last season but was particularly bad from the left corner (18%) and above the break (34%) even though a lot of them were uncontested.
Hart still managed 9.2 points and 8 rebounds last season, but if he can shoot closer to 40 percent from 3-point range he can bump that well into double-digits. Josh Hart should be spending his offseason working with Fred Vinson, who was able to help both Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram improve dramatically from long range.
Barring this, Hart has no chance at being one of the top reserves, especially with guys like Jordan Clarkson putting up 18 points per game on good teams.
New Orleans Pelicans: Josh Hart needs to play starter’s minutes off the bench
Josh Hart was not a starter for most of last season but he was 5th on the team in minutes, just behind Eric Bledsoe, who probably should have been sitting on the bench.
Hart played 28.7 minutes per game last season which was actually more than the 6th Man of the Year, Jordan Clarkson.
I could see Hart playing even more minutes this season, as the Pelicans have a young team that is going to potentially have a couple of rookies and second-year guys coming off the bench.
Hart is not only going to be the veteran bench leader but he will play plenty of time with the starters as well. Hart is a versatile guy who can play with just about any group the Pelicans have.
Hart may end up being 3rd or 4th in minutes this season, even if he doesn’t start a game, and if he can be more efficient shooting the ball and make the most of those minutes, he’ll start getting more attention around the league.
New Orleans Pelicans: Josh Hart needs to be a closer
The best bench players are often part of their team’s lineup when the game is on the line and Hart should get plenty of clutch-time minutes for the Pelicans.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker has a higher ceiling as a player but right now Hart is a better defender and free-throw shooter so he’ll get the call a lot of the time at the ends of games.
If the Pelicans are good and Hart can hit some big shots as he has in the past, he’ll get a lot more attention, as the Pels are going to be on TV a lot as long as Zion Williamson is there.
This will also give him the chance to defend the other team’s best players with the game on the line, another thing that gets attention from potential voters for 6th Man of the Year.
I think Josh Hart is a long shot for the award but even if he doesn’t win it, he can still be an important player for the Pelicans, especially if he can improve his shooting.
With Hart’s rebounding and defense, the only thing holding him back from being one of the top reserves is shooting and making more 3-point shots when he gets the opportunity.