New Orleans Pelicans: The bench unit has to be better in Orlando

The New Orleans Pelicans be better in Orlando

The New Orleans Pelicans are going all-in on a run for the playoffs with season resuming in the NBA’s Orlando restart bubble. Should the team make the playoffs, it would be a great experience for their young, talented team.

In order to that, the Pelicans are most likely going to rely heavily on their starting lineup of Lonzo Ball, Jrue Holiday, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and Derrick Favors. They should too, after all when this lineup has seen the floor, they have been one of the most efficient lineups in the league on both ends of the floor.

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"Over 230 minutes, New Orleans’ presumed Orlando starting lineup of Lonzo Ball, Jrue Holiday, Brandon Ingram, Favors and Williamson is plus-26.3 per 100 possessions, and that’s not a number than can in any way be dismissed for the relatively small sample size."

A playoff run means more than just a strong starting lineup though, to truly make an impact in the playoffs a team needs depth. Relying exclusively on starters will wear a team down, and that’s why depth from a strong bench unit is important.

In what we last saw from the Pelicans this season, the team’s bench unit has been a mixed bag. Veteran sharpshooter J.J. Reddick has performed well, along with fellow veteran E’Twaun Moore but the rest of the unit has had ups and downs due to their inexperience.

Players like Josh Hart and Jaxson Hayes are young prospects still growing early in their careers with ups-and-downs, meanwhile, a player like Kenrich Williams has so far disappointed with a cold shooting streak. Then, there’s first-year shooter Nicolo Melli who has just come over to the NBA and is still acclimating to the NBA game.

That’s before even mentioning combo-guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker who has spent a lot of time developing in the G League with a game that is still very raw.

That poses the argument that just maybe if one team has benefited from a hiatus during this unprecedented season, it could be the Pelicans. A majority of people have talked about how this time away actually gives the Pelicans young stars in Ball, Ingram, and Williamson a chance to improve by watching film and working with the coaching staff on hiatus but what’s not being talked about is just how much this break may have helped this team’s young bench too.

The New Orleans Pelicans bench

The biggest thing to mention about the Pelicans bench coming into Orlando is that with the time off, this team now has a chance to improve on their biggest weakness they have, which is 3-point shooting.

Though Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram definitely made strides in 3-point shooting this season, the Pelicans’ starting lineup doesn’t feature a lot of shooting. Jrue Holiday is just an average shooter, Zion Williamson may be shooting 46 percent from 3 but on very limited attempts, all while Derrick Favors plays like a traditional center with not much spacing to his game either.

For whatever woes some of the young New Orleans have had from distance this season, there’s reason to believe that with time working with coaches and trainers can turn the streaky shooting around. With months to study and hopefully fix shooting mechanics, there’s a chance the Pelicans could have an interchangeable group of sharpshooters.

Looking at Josh Hart, Kenrich Williams, and Nicolo Melli, the Pelicans could have a group of interchangeable shooters who could come in and get hot which could help the team become a dangerous offense. Add in the potential of Jaxson Hayes growing to be a player that is a potential stretch center and the team’s shooting looks much more deadly now.

Secondly, a growing bench could lead to the Pelicans having a much more defensive versatility as well. Kenrich Williams has already flashed the ability to be a strong defensive wing who is well equipped to handle his own, meanwhile, Josh Hart has flashed the ability to be a 3-and-D guard who could really make things difficult on opposing guards.

Then, to top it all off, Jaxson Hayes has serious potential as a paint defender and shot blocker with a quickness that could allow him to hold his own on the perimeter at times as well. Adding all that versatility to a team that has already flashed strong defense will help them down this stretch.

Lastly, the Pelicans have an x-factor who has barely been seen in NBA games in Nickel Walker-Alexander. The Pelicans themselves have reported that Alexander has grown from 6-foot-5 to 6-foot-6 and that he had worked with former Spurs great Manu Ginobili to become a much more dynamic guard. If he can come in and show the flashes he showed in last year’s summer league with a much stronger body, he could become a player that opposing teams have no idea what do with.

What to expect from the New Orleans Pelicans in Orlando

With a healthy Zion Williamson, expect the New Orleans Pelicans to come in hot with a few tricks up their sleeves. Head coach Alvin Gentry has been adding a lot more wrinkles to the team’s systems thanks to the hiatus giving Gentry a healthy roster to work with.

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With strides made from the Pelicans bench as well, look for a much more balanced attack with a stronger 3-point attack that could very well be one of the biggest factors for the Pelicans in securing the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

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