New Orleans Pelicans: 3 takeaways from the 2018 offseason

1. New additions will look to make their mark

The Pelicans weren’t ones to sit idly by in free agency, bringing in Elfrid Payton and Julius Randle on a one and two-year deal, respectively.

Both entered the league in 2014 as top-10 picks, with Randle proving the more successful between the two, although the Kentucky product isn’t without his flaws.

He had a career year in his fourth NBA season, producing 16.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, thriving as a versatile forward capable of playing center in certain lineups despite shooting just 22.2 percent from the 3-point line.

Payton’s offense hasn’t quite developed the way some would like, but he’s still a solid passer with a career average of 6.4 assists per game, and he has the physical attributes to become a better defender at 6’4”, 185 pounds.

For head coach Alvin Gentry, the key will be figuring out how to maximize his newest players.

Randle could hypothetically fit next to Anthony Davis given that both can do multiple things on the court, but he could also thrive as the small-ball center next to Nikola Mirotic, giving him plenty of room to operate as he bullies his way to the bucket.

Maybe Payton could at least somewhat fill the void left by Rondo, in the sense that he’d handle the ball enough to allow Holiday to ball out on the wing while providing solid defense on the other end.

Both guys clearly have the talent to thrive down in New Orleans, and hopefully, Gentry can figure out which lineups work best with the two newest members of the team.