OKLAHOMA CITY – Now in his 14th season overall as an NBA head coach, New Orleans’ Alvin Gentry is accustomed to hostile environments on the road, but if the crowd at Chesapeake Energy Arena gets angry with Gentry on Sunday, it may be for an unique reason.
“I’ll probably get booed like crazy in Oklahoma if (rookie Buddy Hield) doesn’t get to play very much,” Gentry good-naturedly said after Saturday’s Pelicans practice.
The first meeting of 2016-17 between the Pelicans and the Thunder (6 p.m., Fox Sports New Orleans, WRNO 99.5 FM) marks the initial return to the Sooner State for Hield since he completed his decorated NCAA career at the nearby University of Oklahoma. During his senior season, the shooting guard became one of the nation’s most popular players and prolific scorers, while leading the Sooners to the Final Four.
“It’s going to be fun. A college atmosphere,” Hield said of playing in OKC, about a 35-minute drive from his college campus. “I’m going to have fun and when I get in, stay locked in and try to help my team get a win.”
Unfortunately for Sooners supporters, there’s no guarantee Hield will get a significant opportunity to do so, because his playing time has been relatively limited lately, particularly since point guard Jrue Holiday returned to the Pelicans in mid-November. During Friday’s 114-96 home loss to the Clippers, Hield did not enter the game until the final three minutes, playing to periodic chants of “Buddy! Buddy!” from the Smoothie King Center audience.
“I’ve got a lot of love for the city,” Hield said of New Orleans fans. “Hearing them do that gives me confidence to keep working hard and keep getting better. They are showing a lot of love for me. They want to see me do well. That drives me. I don’t want to disappoint the fans.”
Hield also only played during mop-up time of Tuesday’s one-sided win over the Lakers, but Gentry said he’d like to be able to get the No. 6 overall draft pick into Sunday’s game if it’s feasible.
“Obviously if the situation is right, I want to try to play him in Oklahoma,” the second-year Pelicans coach said. “They deserve to see him play. That’s where his whole fan base and the support he’s gotten over the years has been. As a coach, you want to be able to reward guys in situations like that, to put him in a situation where he can play in the game.”
Hield’s homecoming is at least two compelling storylines for the Pelicans-Thunder matchup. Sunday’s game also features the NBA’s top two scorers in Anthony Davis (31.5 points per game) and Russell Westbrook (31.2), the only players averaging 30-plus points.
Sounding a bit like he’s describing the spokesman for Dos Equis, Gentry called Westbrook “the most interesting guy in the league” after Saturday’s practice.
“Because of what he brings to the table and the fact that you can be a point guard and not only get 14 assists but get 14 rebounds in the process,” Gentry said of Westbrook’s common triple-double games. “That kind of player really hasn’t been around since Magic (Johnson). To do it consistently night in and night out, it’s similar to what Oscar Robertson did.”
Over his four-year Pelicans tenure, Holiday has had some of his most impressive defensive games while facing Westbrook, who has generally put up big scoring numbers vs. New Orleans, but also needed many shot attempts to do so.
“(Westbrook is) one of those guys where to use the word ‘stop’ it wouldn’t do him justice,” Gentry said of a team’s goal in containing the early-season MVP candidate. “You’ve got to try to slow him down as much as you possibly can.”