GDHQNBA15_2pg-New Orleans Pelicans

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WESTERN CONFERENCE SOUTHWEST DIVISION New Orleans It’s year five of the Monty Williams era and the Pelicans, who are 128-184 under him, seek their first trip to the playoffs since 2011, when they lost in the first round after a 46-36 regular season. Despite the milestone usually associated with results, New Orleans general manager Dell Demps is adamant that this isn’t a make-or-break year for Williams in terms of his job security. “I think it’s important for us to have sustained success. We don’t want to sacrifice everything just to make the playoffs this year,” Demps said. “Obviously, we want to make the playoffs, but I think the most important thing is become a good team and grow.” The Pelicans lost 262 games to injury of illness last season with five different players: Ryan Anderson, Anthony Davis, Tyreke Evans, Eric Gordon and Jrue Holiday accounting for 151 of those, so staying healthy this year would be a good start. With Davis, the Pelicans have a legit future MVP candidate on their roster. Davis is quickly ascending into a dynamic two-way player who can singlehandedly carry a team into contention. As high as he goes, so goes the Pelicans hopes. DEFENSE Improving their overall team defense and being stronger on the glass were top priorities for New Orleans this offseason. And the Pelicans feel that adding free agent big man Omer Asik should help both areas. “We felt like we had to become a better defensive team and a better rebounding team. That was one of the reasons why we acquired Omar Asik,” Demps said. “We think that he’ll partner up well with Anthony Davis, Ryan Anderson and our other bigs. I think we’ll have a really good frontcourt. We have some dynamic backcourt players but it’s going to be important for them to play together, defend and also rebound. I think those are going to be big keys for us this season.” Asik sees the defensive system employed by Williams as similar to the one he saw in Chicago under Tom Thibodeau, which is a big positive. “Just trying to learn this system, starting to know teammates and how they play,” Asik said. “So far, it’s been going good. I’ll try to do my best. I have to improve on the offensive end.” New Orleans ranked 25th in defensive rebounds per game (30.5) last season and 22nd in overall rebounding (21.3). But being better on the glass isn’t the only area where the Pelicans need to improve. They also need to foul less than the average of 22.6 per game, fourth-most in the Association. “We have to get better at that as a team. A lot of it is just IQ. A lot of our guys didn’t know foul situations when they came into the game,” Williams said. “So they’d come in and put teams on the free throw line.” Having Anderson healthy from his back injury is one thing that should help New Orleans be stronger defensively. Davis is a year older and the experience gained from playing with Team USA who won the Gold Medal at the 2014 FIBA World Championships, should also help. As is, his long wingspan and young legs make him a person who can erase many defensive mistakes. More wisdom and experience will only serve to make him a contender for Defensive Player of the Year. Having Davis and Asik around to anchor things will be of utmost importance as the rather inexperienced backcourt defense will let allow the opposition opportunities to slip by. Holiday, Gordon and Evans, while all physically gifted, none are what you label as defensive stalwarts. They can disrupt offenses with ball thefts, but against solid-executing offenses, they leave a lot to be desired. The key for the Pelicans will be to focus on a team-approach and have teams funneled into New Orleans’ strength (Asik and Davis) on defense. OFFENSE There’s good and bad news about the Pelicans offense. The good is New Orleans shot the ball well, making 45.9 percent of their shots last season, tying them for 10th best in the NBA. The Pelicans also averaged 13.8 turnovers per game, sixth fewest in the Association. But overall, New Orleans averaged 99.7 points per game, one of 13 teams who failed to crack the century mark, but some of that offensive malaise can be chalked up to a rash of injuries. Evans should return in time for the season opener after a preseason hamstring injury, but where does he play? Originally brought in to come off the bench, Evans played out of position at the three for much of last year, a less than ideal scenario. “I don’t think he’s a small forward,” Williams said. “He’s a good player and you try to figure out ways to get him on the floor as much as you can. Having Omer Asik and Davis on the floor can ease some Anthony Davis D. Clarke Evans/NBAE/Getty Images


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