The New Orleans Pelicans have completed their first day of practice and already there are some positive signs after a rocky offseason.
The big news came during media day when David Griffin revealed that Zion Williamson had to have surgery on his foot after injuring it during a workout early in the offseason.
The information was kept secret for whatever reason, and Zion is hoping to be back for the start of the regular season. Keep your fingers crossed.
There were some positive signs from the first day as the Pelicans hope to leave the drama behind and get to basketball.
New Orleans Pelicans: Trey Murphy III is dancing
With a bunch of new faces, this seasons’ Pelicans are a lot younger and hopefully more fun than they were last season when they finished 11th in the Western Conference. Trey Murphy III and the other young players hope to inject some life into the bench and TM3 is already bringing a good vibe to camp:
https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA/status/1442908211439308806
Let’s hope he shoots better than he dances. Now onto some real things.
New Orleans Pelicans: Mike D’Antoni brings experience
One of the more interesting hires on coach Willie Green’s staff was Mike D’Antoni, who has the title of Coaching Advisor.
D’Antoni was a long-time head coach and two-time Coach of the Year who has taken teams to the Finals, so he brings a lot of experience for first-time head coach Willie Green to lean on.
It’s unclear exactly what role D’Antoni will play on the staff, but it will probably be more as a mentor/advisor than X’s and O’s or working directly with players.
His experience should be valuable for a team that not only has a young roster, but a fairly young coaching staff.