OKC Thunder: 3 keys to victory in rematch vs New Orleans Pelicans
OKC Thunder key No. 2) Aggressive and versatile offense
In the first meeting versus the Pelicans Stan Van Gundy’s crew aggressively defended the paint. Post-game Mark Daigneault rationalized the increase in perimeter attempts was a direct result of the Pelicans’ interior defense. The Thunder coach noted he’s pushed the club to take what the defense gives them. Moreover, he cited the lack of versatility in the offense and noted how the team was pressing.
"“The Pelicans are really aggressive with their on-ball defense and on help defense, and that leaves the perimeter open. I keep telling the team we’ve got to take what the defense gives us. If you have open 3s, you’ve got to take them. You’d like to have a bit more balance, and I thought there were times we tried to do too much with the ball, but overall we took good shots.” – Daigneault"
It would be wise for the Thunder to increase ball/player movement and mix up their offense especially with aggressive drives to the paint. As the Thunder know Steven Adams is a solid defender but not known as a shot blocker. Conversely, Zion Williamson will take risks for blocks but he’s yet to display above-average defensive chops and can easily be lured into fouls.
https://twitter.com/okcthunder/status/1344834280694939650
In the first meeting, the Pelicans smartly receded to block the mid-range and paint. Taking those wide-open 3-pointers is fine, but on the other hand, if the ball isn’t dropping it’s time to be more aggressive and get to the paint or the charity stripe. The Thunder started out hot but cooled significantly and failed to adapt or serve up any versatility in their offensive sets.
The drive Darius Bazley made on Zion Williamson that sent the latter to the bench with his fourth foul was a perfect example of how to combat Van Gundy’s schemes.
OKC should definitely follow Daigneault’s instructions to take what the defense gives them particularly wide-open shots. But, it’s also important to control the situation and utilize offensive versatility. If the Thunder simply acquiesces to shooting long bombs the Pelicans have far less to think about on defense and inevitably that equates to saving their legs and energy for offense.