New Orleans Pelicans: What The Preseason Has Taught Us
By Owen Sanborn
I know, I know. It’s only the preseason and the Pelicans have played against a Rockets team that did not suit up Dwight Howard and James Harden, started Joey Dorsey at center and some guy named Kostas Papanikolaou started the game at forward. Houston was a shell of itself to say the least.
Having said this, there are still games to be played that provide opportunities for fans and coaches to evaluate what kind of ceiling New Orleans will be able to touch this season. Despite knowing they are going against inferior competition at times, Anthony Davis and company for lack of a better term are “balling out” so far this preseason.
More from New Orleans Pelicans
- NBA Trades: This Mavericks-Pelicans swap would boost Dallas’ frontline
- NBA Trades: This Pelicans-Raptors deal would send a star to the Big Easy
- NBA Rumors: Zion’s work ethic casts doubt on his future in New Orleans
- Ranking the 10 championship-less NBA teams by closeness to title
- NBA Rumors: Zion Williamson’s days with the Pelicans may be numbered
Davis has far and away the best player this preseason for the Pelicans and it shows with his stats. He is pouring in 18 points a game along with 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. Along with those averages, he is shooting a whopping 61 percent from the floor and sinking 86 percent of his free throws.
The more telling thing about his preseason performance is the way which he is scoring. Much of his points are coming near the basket, a place he aspires to live in this season with his newly muscular body and natural ability to play in the post.
Jrue Holiday has shown a knack for getting Davis the ball at will during pick and roll situations while also sprinkling in 11.4 points per game of his own. Holiday will continue to be the forgotten piece of this Pelicans team (nobody really talks about him), but I believe he will be an integral part of a winning formula for the New Orleans.
His playmaking prowess will be coveted on both the offensive and defensive ends.
Eric Gordon has shown occasional flashes of excellence, pouring in 9.9 points per game while playing limited minutes. He also made his way to the line quite a bit so far, which is a way for him to help establish his rhythm within the offense. That is an encouraging sign for New Orleans, who are hoping for a bounce back year from Gordon.
Attacking the basket is a solid place to start. Hopefully Gordon’s aggression will still be evident once Tyreke Evans finds his way back onto the court for good.
Jimmer Fredette is playing at a torrid pace, contributing nine points a game off the bench while only playing 15.6 minutes per. The BYU product is taking no prisoners this preseason as far as the second-unit guard competition is concerned. Austin Rivers may ultimately be the casualty of Jimmer’s destruction unless coach Monty Williams decides to play them both at the same time.
Such a move would be quite ambitious.
One other note is that the starting small forward competition (that has seen the likes of John Salmons, Luke Babbitt and Darius Miller so far) appears to be a fraud since Monty Williams came out and pledged allegiance to Evans taking over that role last week.
Evans is an undersized small forward however, so this could be a trend that doesn’t stick. Stay tuned.