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New Orleans Pelicans: The strategy of the offseason
New Orleans – for years in the NBA has stood for talented players and potential on the one hand, but injuries and a lack of consistency on the other. This should now be over. “We’ve seen enough of this group, I think,” said Pelicans vice president David Griffin in April, causing quite a stir. “And we saw that we have a lot of work to do.” After the next first round exit and Griffin’s high-profile statements, many expected a shakeup for the Pelicans. That came too, but it was significantly less than expected.
In Dejounte Murray, the Pels finally got a real development player who could be the solution to the sometimes chaotic team play, especially in the final minutes (fourth worst clutch value in the league). In addition, it was recognized that there was a lack of fit between the two non-shooters Zion Williamson and Jonas Valanciunas, whereupon the latter lost out and now had to move to Washington. Daniel Theis is now tasked with filling the resulting hole in the center position.
New Orleans Pelicans: The Strengths and Weaknesses
In Murray, the Pelicans were indeed solving a problem. The guard, who came from the Atlanta Hawks, is supposed to relieve CJ McCollum in the build-up game in order to finally find more high-percentage shots. Last season, only three teams hit the three-pointer better than New Orleans, but they still ranked 24th in terms of shot attempts. Murray himself recently proved that he was not an exceptional, but at least a reliable long-range shooter. The signing of Daniel Theis is in the same vein, as he can also open up the court to give Zion more space in the zone.
Even though the Valanciunas trade made perfect sense, the Pelicans suddenly found themselves without a center. However, with Yves Missi (21st pick in the draft) and Daniel Theis, they only strengthened marginally. Rookie Missi is unlikely to help the Pelicans’ win-now intentions. And German big man Theis doesn’t guarantee 82 games per season either. An alternative would be to let Williamson play at five. But no matter how you turn it, the weak point in the team remains. You also have to keep an eye on Brandon Ingram, whose contract expires next summer: they haven’t extended it yet, and nobody wanted to trade for him…
