With New Orleans point guard Jrue Holiday playing so well in a reserve role for the past three months, Alvin Gentry has been very reticent to move Holiday into the starting lineup. But at this point, there aren’t a whole of options.
Holiday will start vs. Sacramento tonight; he could remain a first-stringer, but that will be evaluated by Gentry and the coaching staff going forward. At least for now, the Pelicans plan to substitute for him relatively early in the first quarter, then bring him back in for Norris Cole in order to have either Holiday or Cole on the floor for all or most of games.
“We’ll probably sub him out early and then be able to bring him back and sub him in for Norris,” Gentry said. “Norris is used to playing eight to 10 minutes of the first quarter anyway. We’ll try to take a look at how (Holiday) is as a starter. If we like it, we’ll continue it. If we don’t, we’ll go back to (him as a reserve).”
Asked what he’s looking for from Holiday in his new role, Gentry said, “I just think it gives us another really good player out on the floor to start the game. Maybe that can get us off to a good start.”
Other notes from pregame:
Cole is listed as a starter and is expected to play. Meanwhile, Luke Babbitt is a game-time decision. “It’s just a freaky thing with him,” Gentry said of Babbitt’s left shin contusion he sustained Saturday vs. Utah. “Less than five seconds after we put him in the game, all of a sudden he has a collision and an injury. It could only happen to us.”