New Orleans Pelicans: Stan Van Gundy can be a defensive difference-maker

The New Orleans Pelicans opened a new chapter when they hired Stan Van Gundy as their head coach. Will he make a difference for them on the defensive end?

The New Orleans Pelicans were unprepared and undisciplined in the NBA bubble in Orlando earlier this year, and there was a price to pay. Head coach Alvin Gentry bore the brunt of the burden and he was swiftly fired after the Pelicans’ stay in Orlando came to an end.

After an in-depth coaching search, executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin settled on Stan Van Gundy as the man to lead the organization forward.

While Van Gundy struggled in his last stop with the Detroit Pistons, thanks largely to his personnel decisions as president of basketball operations (a role which he won’t have to worry about in New Orleans), he has some serious bona fides that he’ll bring with him to this new job. In particular, his Pistons were solid defensive teams in spite of having few solid defenders, and that’s something the Pelicans can benefit from.

For starters, the Pelicans’ defense was poor last season. They had the 10th-worst defensive rating, allowing 111.8 points per 100 possessions. Some of this is due to the youth on the roster and injuries that made continuity challenging, but the personnel on the roster doesn’t look like a bottom-10 defense.

Sloppiness on offense played a big part in this problem. They had the second-worst turnover percentage in the NBA at 15.5, just ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 16.5 percent. As a result, they gave up the second-most points off turnovers per 100 possessions at 18.7, and they allowed the third-most fast-break points at 14.7 per 100 possessions.

As you’d imagine, the New Orleans Pelicans were equally dreadful on defense in transition. They had the third-worst mark in the NBA, allowing 1.159 points per possession.

That’s where Stan Van Gundy comes into the picture.

What Stan Van Gundy can introduce to the New Orleans Pelicans defense

Van Gundy’s Pistons didn’t have particularly talented defenders and the team was generally middle of the pack on the defensive end, but where they set themselves apart was on transition defense and limiting points allowed off turnovers via fast-breaks.

In 2015-16, the Pistons had just the 13th-best defense (which would be a big step up for the Pelicans, of course), but they had the No. 1 transition defense allowing just 1.025 points per possession. They allowed 15.0 points per 100 possessions off of turnovers, fifth-best in the league, and they yielded 10.8 points per 100.

They had a top-10 turnover percentage, checking in at eighth, with 14.0 percent.

Naturally, the league has evolved over time since then and scoring efficiency is up, but the principles remain the same. Take care of the ball, and teams can’t turn around and score on you before you can get set up defensively.

The New Orleans Pelicans may have been able to play devil-may-care basketball under Alvin Gentry during his tenure, but that won’t be the case under Stan Van Gundy. Turnovers will be limited, and defensive responsibility will be required. These improvements under his tutelage alone will help propel them in the right direction in the 2020-21 season and beyond.