Category: Pelicans

Report: Stan Van Gundy fired as Pelicans head coach after one season

After just one season together in New Orleans, the Pelicans have reportedly parted ways with head coach Stan Van Gundy.

After just one season, the New Orleans Pelicans parted ways with Stan Van Gundy on Wednesday, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Andrew Lopez.

The Pelicans struggled mightily in 2019-20 under Van Gundy, finishing with a 31-41 record and never truly threatening for a spot in the play-in games at the end of the season. However, a condensed season paired with injuries throughout the season stacked the deck against the team and Van Gundy.

However, rumors of discontent between Van Gundy and the players also began surfacing this offseason. Per Wojnarowski, Van Gundy began meeting regular with Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin regularly to discuss the future. As discussions furthered, a result ending in the two sides parting ways grew more and more inevitable.

The team is expected to circle back on a number of candidates considered last offseason as well as including assistant Teresa Witherspoon as a serious candidate.

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2020-21 New Orleans Pelicans Player Review: Josh Hart

Viewed as a 3-and-D player, Josh Hart’s non-traditional skillset makes him both impactful and uniquely hard to value heading into free agency.

The least-discussed player in the Anthony Davis trade, Josh Hart has flown under the radar for most of his career as a consistent, impactful contributor.

His increasingly unique skillset saw his rebounding average increase while his scoring and 3-point shooting decreased despite his 6’5″ body frame. Because of that, it raises some questions about how he’s valued this summer by both the Pelicans and teams across the league in restricted free agency.

Stat of the Season

8.0.

Hart’s 8.0 rebounds per game this year were a full 1.5 rebounds per game higher than last season. Of players listed 6’7″ or shorter, Hart was second to only Russell Westbrook in rebounds per game.

Notable Exit Interview Quote

On his season individually

“For me, obviously I didn’t shoot the ball as well as I wanted to. I wasn’t able to get into too much of a rhythm. That was frustrating but I knew that wasn’t indicative of myself as a shooter. But defensively was kind of where I wanted to be. I feel like I was good on the defensive end and rebounding the ball at a high rate. I was pleased with some of it, I wasn’t pleased with some of it. But that’s a season. There’s highs and there’s lows. You just have to stay even-keeled.”

Overview

 

2020-21 New Orleans Pelicans Player Review: Eric Bledsoe

Eric Bledsoe failed to meet any expectations in New Orleans this season, leading to lots of questions of his future with the franchise.

Whatever the expectation was for Eric Bledsoe this season in New Orleans, it’s almost certain he failed to live up to it. Brought in from Milwaukee as part of the Jrue Holiday trade, Bledsoe struggled offensively, took a big step backward defensively and was an X-factor — often in a number of bad ways — for the Pelicans this season.

Now, the franchise must determine whether Bledsoe simply had a down year or if this is indicative of his future and evaluate what the price of trading him  will be.

Stat of the Season

6.6.

The Pelicans’ core, depending on how the summer plays out, would likely be Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball. Overall this season, that trio had a net rating of plus-4.3. Remove the minutes spent alongside Bledsoe and that rating jumps to plus-6.6.

Notable Exit Interview Quote

On how he grades his season…

“It was up and down. I can’t complain. It was up and down. I’m blessed to be able to do what I want to do each and every night and that’s compete at a high level. It was up and down. I’d give it probably a C-.”

Overview

Bledsoe was not a seamless fit for this Pelicans roster, especially offensively. Playing next to Ingram and Williamson and alongside Ball, who developed into a respectable 3-point shooter, Bledsoe needed to knock down open shots, often from beyond the arc.

In Milwaukee last season, only 13.3% of his offensive possession ended in spot-up opportunities. In New Orleans, that figure jumped to 33.7%, easily the most common play type. Ironically, his efficiency in those possessions rose, but he still was only in the 56th percentile overall and the sheer volume of spot-up chances meant he needed to be more efficient.

Most notably, though, it was the open looks that Bledsoe struggled with and eventually turned down at the end of the season that proved most costly to the Pelicans’ offense. On open looks, he shot 34.4% from the 3-point line. On wide-open looks, he shot 35.4%. Those looks accounted for 338 of his 354 attempts from beyond the arc this year.

The area where Bledsoe was not expected to struggle was on defense. After a first-team All-Defense selection in 2018-19 and a second-team selection in 2019-20, Bledsoe was nowhere close to that level in 2020-21. Synergy ranked Bledsoe as a 24th percentile defender overall. His defensive rating of 114.8 was second-worst on the team.

After playing on a title contender for multiple seasons and earning a hefty contract, Bledsoe spent most of 2021 looking like the player who once tweeted “I don’t wanna be here” in Phoenix years ago.

Outlook

In hindsight one has to wonder how many of the picks and pick swaps Milwaukee sent to New Orleans was to take on Bledsoe’s contract. He was not a positive asset and now the Pelicans need to determine how to handle him.

Despite all of Bledsoe’s struggles, Stan Van Gundy showed no signs of benching him, though injuries to guards throughout the season limited how much he could consider that. The franchise will put a focus on 3-point shooting this offseason, and Bledsoe is not a shooter.

But the franchise also didn’t show a willingness during the season to include draft picks to unload Bledsoe’s contract, which will be necessary. How it  handles Bledsoe moving forward will determine how serious the team is about winning in its future.

2020-21 New Orleans Pelicans Player Review: Jaxson Hayes

In a tale of two halves to the season, Jaxson Hayes started poorly and finished impressively for the Pelicans in 2021.

Like his classmate Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jaxson Hayes had a season of two halves. After struggling so much in the first half of the year that he fell out of the regular rotation, Hayes played his way back into the mix for the Pelicans, most importantly for the future, back into a valuable piece of New Orleans’ young core.

Stat of the Season

102.9.

In the final 38 games, Hayes was a vital piece of the Pelicans. He started in only two of those games but appeared in 37 of them and had a defensive rating of 102.9 in that span, the best of any rotation player on the team.

Notable Exit Interview Quote

On when things changed this season…

“Being benched, that’s what kind of made things click. It was like I have to make sure I come into work every day and be professional about everything and make sure I’m getting it in every day and getting better. I can only control the things that I can control.”

Overview

If a sophomore slump truly exists, Hayes’ first 34 games can be used as Exhibit A. The big man played in each of the first 16 games, but never could find his place on either end of the court, often floating through games with little impact.

Between Jan. 29 and March 1, a span of 17 games for the Pelicans, Hayes played just seven times and averaged just over 10 minutes per appearance. Through March 1, Hayes’ net rating on the season was a team-worst minus-8.8.

However, after sitting out four straight games, Hayes stepped back into the rotation on March 3 against Chicago, reached double figures in scoring for just the third time on the season.

He was rewarded with consistent minutes and returned the favor with consistent production over the second half of the year.

Outlook

Without putting too much into one sample size of games over the other, it’s hard not to walk away from the season optimistic about Hayes’ future. How optimistic the Pelicans are about him could determine what the team does with Steven Adams moving forward.

It is interesting to note that Hayes’ net rating alongside Zion Williamson was far better than Steven Adams’. In fact, over the final 38 games, Hayes and Williamson played 285 minutes together and had a plus-9.6 net rating.

Regardless if he’s the starter next season, he’s a part of the Pelicans’ future, which is quite a statement to make after how he started the year.

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2020-21 New Orleans Pelicans Player Review: Steven Adams

Steven Adams may have had a good season individually, but the Pelicans continued to falter, leading to questions for both sides future.

Largely speaking, the Pelicans got exactly what they would have expected from Steven Adams statistically in the 2020-21 season. While the raw numbers took an expected dip as he entered a front court with two All-Stars in Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, he was still the brute force in the paint that anchored the boards and finished around the rim.

The problem, though, is that may not be what the Pelicans need long-term out of a center next to Williamson and Ingram moving forward. Adams may have anchored the team, but the team may not need an anchor.

Thus, Adams becomes part of the number of questions to answer this offseason for the Pelicans.

Stat of the Season

61.4%.

While his field goal attempts went down, Adams had one of the most efficient seasons of his career, shooting 61.4% from the field, the second-best mark of his career.

Notable Exit Interview Quote

On team’s improvement in the second half defensively…

“I feel we did start seeing a lot more consistency with rotations. And this just comes down to players prioritizing different threats, not being bamboozled, if that makes sense, by smoke-screen plays, allowing them to actually react to the actual threat. That’s a really big part.”

Overview

The Pelicans had plenty of confidence in Adams’ fit with the roster, so much so that they gave him a two-year, $35 million extension before he even stepped foot onto the court. That, though, did not prove to be money well-spent this season.

Adams was more or less a neutral player this year, finishing with a minus-0.1 net rating. With Williamson and Adams in the paint, the Pelicans ranked second in the league in points in the paint, first in offensive rebounding and second in rebounding percentage.

That, though, was not a successful identity for the Pelicans in 2021. In an era where 3-pointers are shot at an unparalleled rate, building a roster based on bruising play in the paint was one of the critical flaws of the Pelicans.

So, while Adams was not a negative player individually, the way he forced the Pelicans to play led to negative results.

Outlook

Adams represents a huge swing and miss last offseason by the Pelicans. Neither Adams nor Bledsoe could help the franchise take a step forward. That so much money is committed to those two players – $35.1 million next season and at least $21.7 million in 2022-23 – spells all sorts of problems for New Orleans.

Add in the fact that both Jaxson Hayes and Willy Hernangomez were roughly as productive, and sometimes even more, as Adams at drastically lower costs this season and the questions of whether Adams’ future is in New Orleans.

He still has value. If he were on the open market this offseason, his contract would likely be in the neighborhood of the one he is under the next two seasons. But finding a willing trade partner will be a difficult task this offseason.

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2020-21 New Orleans Pelicans Player Review: Nickeil Alexander-Walker

After struggling early in the season, Nickeil Alexander-Walker found his groove in his sophomore year as he finished the season strong.

On paper, Nickeil Alexander-Walker took a step forward in his sophomore year in New Orleans. And while that ultimately may have been the case, it came in a very roundabout fashion that featured some ups and downs.

A disappointing first half of the season – career-high scoring performance against the Clippers aside – gave way to a strong second half. An ankle sprain looked to have sidetracked his strong play, but he still came back over the final five games to finish the year strong.

Stat of the Season

38.3%.

The Pelicans are going to focus on shooting this offseason and Alexander-Walker showed that he can fit that mold during that second-half stretch. Over his final 19 games, he shot 38.3% from the 3-point line on 6.7 attempts per game.

Overview

Much like his draft classmate Jaxson Hayes, Alexander-Walker struggled to find time and production in the first half of the season. While he saw time in 27 of the first 33 games, he shot just 41.6% from the field and 29.7% from the 3-point line in that span. Those figures also even include a 37-point outing against the Clippers.

After not playing in three of four games in the middle of the season, Alexander returned to the rotation and looked revitalized. Not only was he scoring at a higher and more efficient clip, he was also playmaking at a high level, too. That’s what made his ankle injury against Houston all the more frustrating.

Once he returned over the final five games after missing 17 games, he looked like he hadn’t missed a beat, an encouraging sign heading into the offseason and next season.

Outlook

Alexander-Walker is clearly a part of New Orleans’ future. How much he is a piece of the future will dictate what the Pelicans will offer Lonzo Ball this offseason.

With or without Ball, Alexander-Walker looked impressive and worthy of being a long-term piece in the Pelicans’ future, especially if the playmaking he flashed is a real improvement.

2020-21 New Orleans Pelicans Player Review: Wes Iwundu

A mid-season acquisition, Wes Iwundu failed to find his footing with the Pelicans in his brief time with the team this season.

A mid-season acquisition, Wes Iwundu’s arrival came at the price of JJ Redick, whose departure brought its own stir of turmoil. For Iwundu, in a compacted season in which he joined a new team for the third time in two seasons, finding his footing and role with the Pelicans was a challenge.

For a team lacking wings, though, Iwundu could be one of the few internal options for New Orleans moving forward.

Stat of the Season

11.1%.

In 18 games with the Pelicans, Iwundu shot 2-of-18 from the 3-point line, or 11.1%. That percentage is not nearly as far away from his career 3-point percentage as it should be as he’s just a 28.6% 3-point shooter over his 223 games.

Notable quote from exit interview

On his focus in the offseason…

“First and foremost, getting healthy…and next after that comes the shooting part. I think those are my two main biggest focuses going into this offseason in order to look forward to next season and fitting in with the team even more.”

Overview

On paper, Iwundu is exactly what teams want in a wing. He’s 6’6″ with a wingspan over seven feet, athletic and fits the physical bill of a 3&D wing.

However, as noted, the 3-pointer part did not click in New Orleans and has not clicked during his time in the NBA. In 2018-19, Iwundu shot 36.7% from the 3-point line on 79 attempts. Take out that season and Iwundu has shot 24.8% on 169 attempts the rest of his time in the league.

Outlook

Fortunately, he now with the equivalent of the modern-day shot doctor in Fred Vinson. In working with Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Zion Williamson, Vinson has helped each improve aspects of their shooting. If he can have a similar impact on Iwundu, it could transform his role and impact on the team.

It’s a big ask, but it’s the clearest path to Iwundu being a productive member of the Pelicans moving forward. He’s under contract for next season but it may be one of his final chances in the league.

Pelicans nab Arkansas guard Moses Moody in NBCSports NBA mock draft

In need of shooting and size on the perimeter, the Pelicans could make a move for Arkansas’ Moses Moody with the No. 10 pick.

The Pelicans’ need for shooting and wing players is one that dates back even into the build-up to the 2020 NBA draft. While the Pelicans then opted to take point guard Kira Lewis, the likelihood of New Orleans going away from a wing this season seems slim.

While one name could be Michigan’s Franz Wagner, the team could look for a more dynamic offensive guard in a player like Arkansas’ Moses Moody, who NBC Sports mocked to the Pelicans at No. 10 in their latest mock draft.

With the Razorbacks last season, Moody averaged 16.8 points on 42.7% shooting from the field and 35.8% shooting from the 3-point line. While he is a more prototypical shooting guard at 6’6″, his reportedly 7’1″ wingspan would make him a versatile player on both ends of the floor.

Last season, the Pelicans lacked those types of players with length on the perimeter, which became apparent when injuries struck. Without wings on the roster, the team was forced into undersized lineups that cost them at times.

A player like Moody won’t be a natural small forward, but he would provide size and shooting, two things the team could use around Ingram and Williamson.

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Should the Pelicans make an all-in trade for a superstar this summer?

With a bevy of assets through draft and young players, the Pelicans could be in a position to make a big trade this offseason.

Heading into a summer with many questions, the New Orleans Pelicans are tasked with finding out what direction the franchise is headed in with Zion Williamson. With two years of sample size on Williamson with the rest of the Pelicans young core, the front office should have an idea of what players do and don’t fit into their future.

As the focus shifts more and more toward a winning future in lieu of a rebuilding one, the Pelicans will begin to look to aggregate their assets into something impactful. For instance, the team will enter the 2021 NBA draft with four selections, three of those second-rounders. For a team already full of young players, adding four more first-year players to that mix seems suboptimal.

In fact, between the 2021 and 2027 drafts, the Pelicans have 22 draft picks with control over the majority of the Lakers and Bucks first round picks in that span. The team will have plenty of ammunition to add to their roster on top of potentially jumping on opportunities to make a move for a superstar.

That last bit could be pertinent to this offseason. While the clock isn’t ticking loudly yet for the Pelicans, it is ticking as Williamson and Ingram move closer to free agency and the urgency to become contenders will grow. Seemingly each year, a new star becomes disgruntled and seeks a way out of his current situation. This year, there are a couple of prime candidates.

Bradley Beal’s name will continue to be floated around despite the Wizards making a run to get into the playoffs this season. Should the Blazers exit in the first round yet again, C.J. McCollum may be available at a high price.

There will also almost certainly be unexpected players who may become available as well. James Harden this season is a perfect example of that very fact.

The Pelicans, more so than any team not named the Thunder, are in prime position to pounce on this opportunity. All these questions, though, will need to be answered by New Orleans at the same time that they answer internal questions about the state of their roster. Should they bring back Lonzo Ball? Josh Hart? Eric Bledsoe? Steven Adams?

The success of Ball, Ingram and Williamson together would indicate there is something in place for the future. That trio was a plus-4.3 in 942 minutes together this season. In 146 minutes without Bledsoe, they were plus-6.6. In 250 minutes without Adams, they were plus-10.4.

Building around that trio could be the answer for the Pelicans’ future. Adding a lead guard like McCollum or Beal would offer a rather seamless fit. Ball’s versatility defensively and offensively allows the team the ability to add virtually any guard.

The biggest thing, though, is determining the right opportunity and the right cost. If that circumstance presents itself this offseason, it could be time for the Pelicans to make a big move to get to the next level.

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5 questions for the New Orleans Pelicans heading into the offseason

5 questions for the New Orleans Pelicans heading into the offseason

The New Orleans Pelicans had a frustrating and disappointing season in 2020-21. After bringing in veterans Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams to compliment returning starters Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, the Pelicans limped to an 11th-place finish in the Western Conference, not even landing a spot in the play-in game.

The Pelicans now head into an offseason with uncertainties about the roster, the payroll and the direction forward. Ingram and Williamson seem the only players certain to return next season. Everyone else is on the table.

With that in mind, here are the top five questions for the Pelicans this offseason.