Since becoming the New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations, Joe Dumars has stressed adding toughness to the team. And during new head coach Jamahl Mosley’s introductory press conference it became clear that toughness is something Mosley will be bringing to the Crescent City.
Dumars is an old school guy, who clearly values hard work, toughness and defense. The Detroit Pistons teams he ran in the early 2000s were known for their defense.
When looking back at it now, James Borrego probably never stood a chance at becoming the permanent head coach. Borrego did a good job as interim head coach and had the Pelicans playing hard, but he is known more for his offensive acumen. He doesn’t really have that old school mentality that Dumars has.
Willie Green put an emphasis on defense, but players never really seemed to respond to him as head coach. Outside of some short stretches, Green’s message didn’t resonate with the players.
Mosley wasn't perfect, but he was tough
Mosley’s tenure as Orlando Magic head coach was far from perfect, but if you watched Orlando play during the NBA playoffs you saw a team that played with toughness. This was especially true with their defense.
Win or lose, Mosley’s team was playing hard for him in those playoff games. There definitely was a physicality that they displayed on the defensive side of the ball. But, how much of that hinges on the personnel?
During his introductory press conference, Mosley communicated his fondness for having a football mentality.
"You can’t be afraid of contact. You can’t be afraid of getting knocked down or knocking someone else down,” Mosley said.
It was clear after the press conference that Mosley aligns best with Dumars’ vision for the franchise.
“We spent hours and hours and hours talking to Jamahl and other candidates, but at the end of the day, Jamahl was the person who aligned with us and our vision more than anybody else,” Dumars explained.
All this talk of toughness and physicality sounds great in theory, but will Pelican players be able to play this way? Zion Williamson is built like a football player and should have no problem playing this type of physicality. The question is whether the rest of the roster will follow suit, specifically rookies Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen. Neither of them is really known for their physical play.
I have no doubt Mosley and Dumars really want this team to be tough and physical, but do they have the roster to make it happen?
If Mosley can get buy in from the entire team, the Pelicans’ defense should improve, along with their record.
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