Pelicans-Hawks Postgame Quotes

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HEAD COACH ALVIN GENTRY(Opening statement)“I think it was just like any preseason game. There were some things that we did extremely well and other things that we have to spend time working on. Offensively, I thought we moved the ball and did a pretty good job. Our goal was to try to get up 40 threes and we did that. We have to be a little more selective in the ones that we shoot, I think, but for the most part I like the shots. The pace was pretty good but I think defensively we’ve got a lot of work to do.”(On the offensive performance tonight)“I thought Nicolo did a great job for us, I believe he was a plus 29 tonight. He just did a great job and he also had some shots that he is very capable of making. Obviously Jrue played great . Zion had his moments and stuff, I think he is going to continue to improve. He has shown that he can get the ball to the basket offensively. He has some work to do defensively but that’s the case with every young kid coming into this league.”(On their defensive effort tonight)“I thought we were active, I just thought we didn’t contain the ball like we need to do. Obviously if you let people in the paint, then it just breaks down your defense and it also creates penetrate-and-pitch situations that create three-pointers. In that case it makes it difficult for us to get back out to the shooters. There are some things that we have to do but for the most part, everybody that went in and played. I was really happy.”

FORWARD ZION WILLIAMSON(His thoughts on his first preseason game)“It was a lot of fun. First NBA game, even though it’s not going to count towards the record, it was the first of hopefully many and I’m glad to get that one under my belt.”(On the physicality of the NBA game)“The physicality is a little bit different. There are more players that are a lot stronger, so you have to find more skilled ways to score. But I feel like with my size it’s not going to be that big of an adjustment. I feel like I will adjust very well with that.”(On the transition to the NBA lifestyle)“It’s definitely different for sure, it’s just a different lifestyle. At any moment you can get traded to another city and have to move. Like you said, the grind is different. You always have to find different ways to stay ahead of your opponent.”(On the pace of play tonight)“You know Coach Gentry, all he talks about is fast pace and running. So, like you said, it plays well into my game and whenever I have a chance to transition, I try to go.”

CENTER JAHLIL OKAFOR(On the positive from tonight’s performance)“We wanted to come away better than before and I think we did that. Obviously there are some things that we need to work on but there is a lot to be happy about and we came out with the win. We’ve got four more preseason games to continue to improve and I’m looking forward to that.”(On the team’s overall talent)“It is only preseason, but still it feels good. We played well and won by a pretty large margin. Even though it’s only preseason, it’s still something to look in to and there were a lot of positives from this game. We are going to watch film tomorrow and continue to build.”

2019-nba-preseason-game-1-pelicans-at-hawks-postgame-quotes-10-7-19

2019 NBA Preseason Game 1: Pelicans at Hawks Postgame Quotes 10-7-19

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Pelicans‑Hawks Postgame Quotes

2019 NBA Preseason Game 1: Pelicans at Hawks Postgame Quotes 10-7-19