The process for the New Orleans Pelicans to try to emerge as an improved team in 2016-17 begins Saturday, when they face the Dallas Mavericks in the preseason opener for both Southwest Division clubs. On the first episode of his coach’s radio show (WRNO 99.5 FM, weekly schedule begins Sept. 20) last night, Alvin Gentry discussed three specific areas he and his staff will evaluate during the 7 p.m. contest at Bossier City’s Century Link Center. They’re all categories that could dictate the Pelicans’ success this season: defense, conditioning and unselfishness.
“It comes down to what can we do defensively, as far as guarding the ball and keeping it out of the paint area?” Gentry said of the first key department.
New Orleans finished 28th in the NBA in defensive efficiency in 2015-16, a major reason the injury-plagued Pelicans dropped out of realistic postseason contention by early March. Only the Lakers and Brooklyn finished with a worse defensive rating than New Orleans, which allowed 107.3 points per 100 possessions (via NBA.com). However, in the offseason, many of the Pelicans’ pickups were above-average defenders, including Day 1 free-agency addition Solomon Hill.
Secondly, Gentry will monitor what kind of game shape his players are in; to play up-tempo basketball, it must be at a high level. New Orleans hoped to play at one of the fastest paces in the NBA last season, but wound up 11th (98.91 possessions per 48 minutes). Gentry’s recent previous teams have been top-five in the statistic.
“What kind of shape are we in conditioning-wise, as far as running?” Gentry asked. “So, how much more will we have to do to have ourselves ready to play on Oct. 26 (the regular season opener vs. Denver)?”
Lastly, Gentry often mentioned a target last season of 30 assists each game for the Pelicans, but the team’s ball movement wasn’t always sufficient. New Orleans reached the 30-assist mark four times, but not coincidentally, when the Pelicans dished out 25-plus assists, they went 15-8. They were 15-44 when they did not.
“Unselfish play,” Gentry listed as a third key area. “Obviously the execution is going to struggle some in the first preseason game, because you’re going to have a lot of different combinations out there. But if we can accomplish those (three) things, that will be great.”
In terms of lineups and substitutions, Gentry said preseason will be used partly to determine which five-man groups are most effective.
“There will be a method to our madness,” he said. “There will be a lot of combinations of guys out there. We’ll have that all mapped out before the game… We’ve got to find out a lot about our team and combinations of players.”