It seems impossible but New Orleans Pelicans basketball is nearly back.
Today kicks off media day and then training camp is right around the corner. This year there are going to be plenty of questions for the Pelicans players and front office.
The Pelicans dysfunction has been on full display over the last weeks, as reports emerged about a strained and strange relationship between David Griffin and superstar forward Zion Williamson.
I think a lot of this is overblown, but it would have been nice for the Pelicans to make it through the offseason without the topic of Zion being unhappy and leaving constantly coming up.
How Zion comes into camp will answer a lot of those questions, but there are others we’d like to ask of him and the rest of his teammates. Here is one question I’d like to ask each guy.
New Orleans Pelicans: Questions for the two-way players at media day
Jose Alvarado- How can you help the team in training camp?
Jose Alvarado is one of the two-way contracts who is unlikely to spend much time with the team this season because of their logjam at guard. But he is a high energy defender who loves to get after it on that end, so I’d love to know how he views his role in training camp given that he is unlikely to make the team. Even if he doesn’t his defense and energy should push his teammates and I’d like to hear his thoughts on that.
Daulton Hommes- How confident are you that you’ll make the full-time roster at some point this season?
Hommes can shoot the lights out and has good athleticism, so he has a chance to get some run if one of the other Pelicans’ forwards falters or gets hurt. We know he can shoot, but is there anything about his game that would surprise us or give us reason that he might beat out someone like Herb Jones for minutes?
I like to see how players view themselves and whether they have a good balance of confidence and realism, so I’d be interested to see where Hommes thinks he stands.
New Orleans Pelicans: Questions for the veteran bench players at media day
Tomas Satoransky- What changed between when you hit 46 percent from 3-point range for the Wizards to hitting 35 percent last season?
At one point in his career Satoransky looked like a lights-out 3-point shooter. He hit 46.5 percent for the Wizards in 2017-18 but only 35 percent last season. I’d like to know if he thinks this is due to a change in role, more attempts or has something changed about his shot. Satoransky could get a lot of open spot-up looks this season and I’d like to know which guy we are getting.
Garrett Temple- What is your favorite restaurant in New Orleans?
I love food so I am always interested in what these guys are eating. Temple is from Louisiana and went to LSU, so I assume he has an opinion on the local cuisine. He has also arranged a team dinner this offseason and I’m curious where they went and what he likes to eat in New Orleans.
Stupid question? Sure, but I love food so deal with it.
Willy Hernangomez- Have you added any wrinkles to your game this offseason?
Hernangomez is currently the third center and insurance policy against Jaxson Hayes not playing well or getting hurt. But Hernangomez was solid last season and most players don’t just accept that they are third on the depth chart, so I’d be curious what elements he’s worked on this offseason that may give him an edge over youngster Jaxson Hayes.
Josh Hart- What have you done specifically this offseason to improve your 3-point shot?
Josh Hart is a good defender who is one of the best guard rebounders in the NBA, so the only thing holding him back from being a consistent 6th Man of the Year candidate is his shot, which has pretty much gotten worse every year he’s been in the league.
Hart went from 39.5 percent in his rookie season to just 32 percent last season, and the New Orleans Pelicans could really use his shooting, so what is he doing to get better?
New Orleans Pelicans: Questions for the young bench players at media day
Herb Jones- Which players have you most modeled your game after?
Jones is a defensive specialist who could be a lockdown defender for years if he can sort out some kind of offensive game. His resume is similar to Draymond Green and I’d be curious if he has modeled his game after Green or someone else.
Didi Louzada- Why should you get minutes this season?
Louzada is a bit of a wild card for the New Orleans Pelicans, as he has real talent but is still fairly raw, especially on the offensive end. I’m always curious to know how players view themselves in terms of the team, so what does Didi think (or that coaches have told him) he needs to do to get meaningful run this season. Does he think defense is the way into the rotation?
Naji Marshall- How do you view your role in terms of leadership?
The Pelicans have lacked a vocal leader since Jrue Holiday left and Marshall has shown that he might be that guy moving forward. He was very vocal in Summer League and seemed to be the leader of the team, so I wonder if he sees that translating to the regular season and if the coaches have mentioned being more of a leader.
Kira Lewis Jr.- What is the biggest difference between now and this time last year?
Kira Lewis Jr. was part of a rookie class that got denied a full offseason, training camp and G-League because of COVID, so I could see him making a big leap this season with more time to prepare. So what does he think is the biggest difference between rookie Kira and second-year Kira?
Trey Murphy III- Who do you see yourself defending in the NBA?
I think Murphy III has a good chance to thrive in New Orleans as a spot-up 3-point shooter, but if he really wants to make an impact, he needs to defend. We know Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are still works in progress on defense, so does Murphy III feel comfortable guarding power forwards? Shooting guards? Who does he think he matches up best against?
Jaxson Hayes- What kind of reaction have fans given to his off the court problems?
Hayes is going to be one of the busier players at media day and there’s a lot to talk about. He has yet to answer any questions about his altercation with the LAPD and I highly doubt he’ll speak on any specifics since the case might still be ongoing. Instead, I’d like to know if fans have mostly been supportive or critical of what happened in his interactions with them. Many fans were upset initially but might have changed their minds after seeing the full video. Has NOLA embraced Hayes or does he feel he needs to prove himself to fans?
New Orleans Pelicans: Questions for the starters at media day
Jonas Valanciunas- Will you embrace more of a Brook Lopez role this season and shoot more 3-point shots?
Many people have talked about Valanciunas being an upgrade over Steven Adams, but he still does most of his damage from the interior, so will he really improve the spacing? To do so, he may have to shoot more than .9 shots per game from the 3-point line and I’m curious as to whether he is focusing on that in the offseason.
Devonte’ Graham- Why should fans be excited about you?
Graham is more or less replacing Lonzo Ball, a controversial but popular (too popular for some) player who is perceived as having a higher upside. Time will tell if that is true or just more of the Ball hype machine, but most fans see Graham as a downgrade from Lonzo to varying degrees. So why should we be excited about Devonte’?
Nickeil Alexander-Walker- What specifically have you done to work on your offensive efficiency?
NAW has all of the talent to be a star in the NBA. He has the size, athleticism, is a good defender and has shown high-end offensive ability…. at times.
At others he takes horrible, high difficulty shots that look great when they go in and just look like bad offense when they don’t. I’d like to know what things he’s been working on specifically to make himself a better shooter by getting in better position for good shots.
Brandon Ingram- What specifically have you done to work on your defense?
Brandon Ingram’s defense may be one of the biggest X-factors for the Pelicans, as he has the talent to be good on that end. Has he been working on footwork? Watching film to improve his positioning? Identifying plays when he didn’t commit for the full 24 seconds? We know Ingram is an elite scorer but if he really wants to be one of the NBA’s best forwards he has to defend better.
Zion Williamson- Who have you been working out with this Summer?
Zion is going to get a lot of questions about the piano serenades, his diet, weight and whether he’d like to play for the Pelicans long term. A lot has been made about him not turning up to the mini-camps Ingram held this offseason and basically being a non-presence at the Pels’ training facility. So if he is not training with his teammates or team trainers, who IS he training with and why? I am curious just how much control Zion’s step-dad has over his training and decisions as it seems like a lot of the talk we hear coming out of the Zion camp is coming from people other than Zion.