New Orleans Pelicans: 3 big questions heading 2018-19 NBA season
3. Can Payton and Randle replace Rondo and Cousins?
The Pelicans’ offseason can be simplified down to the younger and in one case, cheaper replacements the team brought in for Rondo and Cousins. Rondo received a lucrative one-year deal to join LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, while the Cousins felt a disconnect between him and the team, leading to him signing with the Golden State Warriors.
The Pelicans quickly rebounded, adding Elfrid Payton on a minimum contract and Julius Randle on a two-year, $18 million deal, with the second year being a player option.
Of course, as a result of these signings, the team’s season will be judged on how these two young players produce in New Orleans, especially compared to the two veterans they are replacing. Despite Payton’s struggles throughout his career to this point, there is reason to believe that he can be at his best in the Pelicans’ up-tempo system that stresses the importance and value of transition play.
Payton has thrived in transition throughout his career, and playing alongside Holiday, Mirotic, Randle and Davis should allow him to produce and cause havoc for defenses in transition.
If there's one team/system that can help Elfrid Payton, it's the Pels up-tempo style. He has consistently been at his best in transition: pic.twitter.com/KLl22GvKJ1
— Eric Spyropoulos (@EricSpyroNBA) August 16, 2018
Meanwhile, Randle is a dynamic young big that is capable of handling the ball in transition and switching on defense. Sure, you don’t get elite rim protection or floor-spacing from the 23-year-old, key skills for a center in today’s NBA, but Randle instantly unlocks compelling frontcourt pairings for Gentry.
Pair Randle with Davis and you get two athletic big men that can switch on the perimeter, hold their own defensively, and thrive in transition. Randle would be able to handle the bulk of the physicality in the paint, while Davis can act as a “free safety” rim protector. If Davis continues to improve his 3-point shooting (he hit a career high 34 percent of such shots last season), Randle will have enough room to operate down low.
Pair Randle with Mirotic and you get a pairing that can thrive in transition, with Mirotic providing elite floor-spacing for Randle to operate in the post, while the two can switch defensively and run out in transition. Both Payton and Randle should excel in the up-tempo system, with several shooters and star players around them in New Orleans.