The New Orleans Pelicans, looking to improve their defense from this past season, have signed former Chicago Bulls guard E’Twaun Moore.
The New Orleans Pelicans are making a turn for the better on the defensive end. After landing Solomon Hill on a four-year deal worth $52 million earlier in the week, the Pelicans doubled down on their defensive push, adding guard E’Twaun Moore to a four-year deal worth $38 million.
Similar to Hill, Moore had a pretty long journey towards his next contract. After being drafted in the second round of the 2011 NBA draft, Moore bounced from Boston to Orlando and finally Chicago over the course of his first five seasons.
This past season, Moore showed his ability to provide production from either guard position, averaging 7.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game on 48 percent shooting.
The biggest thing about Moore is his ability to play off the ball as a smaller guard, which helps New Orleans with versatility alongside Jrue Holiday. The ability to do some things with and without the ball is valuable for a team that will be without many creators next season.
Last season, Moore finished with a points per possession (PPP) of 1.14 on spot-up plays, shooting 45 percent from the floor and posting an effective field goal percentage of 59 percent.
At the very least, Moore will provide depth. After several seasons of lacking depth, the Pelicans added Moore, Hill and Langston Galloway, giving them three solid players who can play defense and space the floor.
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Hill seems like a player who can play both forward positions, while Galloway and Moore can handle both guard positions and provide some solid defense at the point and shooting guard positions.
Defensively, Moore’s defensive contributors are more valuable. The Pelicans were one of the worst teams in the league on the defensive end, finishing with the 27th ranked defense in the league last year.
Injuries played a toll, but New Orleans’ roster was created with good offensive players who doubled as bad defenders, like Ryan Anderson, Norris Cole and Eric Gordon. Moore, at least, is more balanced than the other three.
Again, Moore operates in the space of the combo player on defense. He can defend point guards and even some of the smaller shooting guards, combining his 6’4″ size with a 6’9″ wingspan. Last season, he held opponents to just 35 percent shooting when defending ball handlers in the pick and roll, suggesting he could help New Orleans — a team that finished 27th in pick-and-roll defense — improve in that respect.
Overall, I think Moore could ultimately end up as someone who can come off the bench and hold down either spot, possibly even a starter depending on how aggressive head coach Alvin Gentry wants to be with rookie guard Buddy Hield.
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To me, New Orleans’ best late-game lineup consists of Holiday, Moore, Quincy Pondexter, Solomon Hill and Anthony Davis, providing five players that can switch on various players inside and outside the floor, while offering length that could bother several teams.