ATLANTA – One of the Pelicans’ five-man reserve units – consisting of guards Jimmer Fredette and Austin Rivers, forwards Luke Babbitt and Ryan Anderson and center Jeff Withey – had never competed as a group on an NBA floor prior to Saturday. You may not have known it by the way they played against Miami. That fivesome combined to shoot 22-for-43 from the field and a blistering 12-for-22 from three-point range.
The New Orleans reserves contributed the entire New Orleans long-range attack, which finished 14-for-32 overall from beyond the arc Saturday. Fellow Pelicans reserves John Salmons and Russ Smith each added one made three-pointer apiece.
“We have obviously played a lot together this summer and have been working out, and hanging out off the court,” said Anderson, who was 3-for-6 on treys. “I’ve had a good chance to know these guys.”
“We were trying to share the ball, and I think we did a pretty good job of that,” said Fredette, who was 3-for-4 and tallied a team-best 17 points. “We’re an unselfish team. We make the right pass and the right play at all times. If we keep doing that, I think we can be very, very good.”
Other notes from shootaround at Philips Arena:
- One potential second-unit contributor, center Alexis Ajinca, missed Saturday’s game due to left hamstring and quad injuries. The 7-foot-2 native of France is not expected to play tonight against the Hawks, but hopes to be ready to play Wednesday vs. the Wizards in Jacksonville. “I’m getting closer,” Ajinca said. “It feels better than it was last week. It’s just sore, and a little bit painful too. I’m trying to be ready for Jacksonville.”
- Russ Smith (12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals) wasn’t the only Pelicans rookie who fared well in his NBA debut Saturday in Louisville. As was the case during summer league in Las Vegas, first-year forward Patric Young was a problem in the paint for opposing bigs. The Florida product grabbed eight rebounds in just 21 minutes.