Alvin Gentry Joins The New Orleans Pelicans

Alvin Gentry was able to get the New Orleans Pelicans coaching job after he told team general manager Dell Demps and vice president Mickey Loomis that Anthony Davis was underutilized in the offense. Gentry demonstrated his point using charts and graphs.

His background as the associate head coach of the Golden State Warriors also helped him land the job. While Alvin Gentry was hired to create a fast-pace offense for the Pelicans by using the potential offered by Davis, the team also needs to improve on its defense.

The Pelicans is ranked 27th in the NBA as it averaged 93.7 points per game. It was also giving up 98 points per game to its opponents due to their slow pace of play. On the other hand, the Warriors averaged 100.69 points per game and have the best defense in the league. Gentry helped in the transformation of Golden State into one of the best offensive teams in the league.

Last year, New Orleans was ranked 22nd in defensive efficiency in the league as it gave up 104.7 points for every 100 possessions even with Davis in the lineup. Davis is fourth among the best defensive players in the league and was part of the second All -NBA defensive team. While the team saw some improvements throughout the season, its defensive efficiency went down from 105.8 before the All-Star weekend to 102.8.

Alvin Gentry Joins New Orleans - image credit: cbssports.com

The team could have done better with Omer Asik playing alongside Davis. Despite the presence of the two defenders in the paint, opponents averaged 32 shots per game within five feet of the basket. Whenever one of the two players were off the court, the defense of the team suffered. This was particularly noticeable whenever Ryan Anderson was playing.

Since the offense of Anderson was needed by the team, it was necessary for him to be on the court. Alvin Gentry may have a difficult time in finding ways for Anderson to contribute in defense. The main reason for the good defense displayed by the Warriors in the season was the fact that everyone had a role to play.

While it is essential for Anderson to learn how to play defense, it is also important for New Orleans to create better defensive plays. Although Gentry can help the offense of the Pelicans, the team is also aware of the need to work on its defense. Gentry made his own contributions in making the Warriors the best defensive team in the league for this season.

Even as Alvin Gentry may help improve the offense of the New Orleans Pelicans, it is also important for him to work on the defense of the team to improve its standing in the league.

Posted by Andre Monohan on Monday June 01 2015, 11:18 PM EDT. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0