Game Day Preview: OKC Thunder face new era twin towers, Oct 6

Postion-less Pelicans:

The Pelicans roster arguably is the best reflection of the new era of position-less basketball.  In particular the guard and front court big men fall into this category. The starting lineup features  two big men who both prefer to play power forward (Davis, Cousins) and two guards ideally suited to play the point (Rondo, Holiday).  Moreover the Pelicans are heavily laden at the small forward position, but light in reserve depth at the power forward. And, while the Pelicans boast a plethora of wings none possess 2-way prowess.

Boasting two of the leagues best big men may make this a non-issue. Both bigs are equally adept in the paint and can stretch the floor to the perimeter. Still, if opposing teams can lock down the Pelican’s bigs to force the wings into being the primary offense it may serve as the biggest issue Alvin Gentry must address.

Pelican’s Wing Problem:

As Simon Cherin-Gordon of Hoops Habit points out the most pressing issue for the Pelican’s are who’ll play on the wing. New Orleans’s greatest challenge last season lay in their perimeter scoring and floor spacing. Finding a 5-man rotation who could capitalize on the modern era Twin Towers most certainly lays in Gentry’s ability to find a small forward to fill out the lineup.

"Allen’s defense is a boon for any team that signs him, but no more than his shooting is a burden. For a team planning on playing two traditional bigs and Rondo, the latter issue is compounded. In theory, the Clark signing is far more logical. He is a quality 3-point threat and a heady cutter, perfect for a team loaded with ball handling and passing. However, he is a 6’3″ one-position defender, and a bad one at that. It is a stretch to play him at the 2, making the Rondo signing all the more perplexing. Ultimately, there is only one wing combo the Pelicans can field that gives them any semblance of proper size and floor-spacing: Moore and Miller. The problem is that Moore is a fringe starter at best, and Miller is a fringe NBA player."