The New Orleans Pelicans made a major splash when they fired Monty Williams and hired Alvin Gentry as his replacement as head coach. For a while, it was assumed that the Pelicans and ex-Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau were going to get together but then they surprised everyone with the Gentry hiring. Although Gentry is currently still an assistant with the Golden State Warriors, the Pelicans wasted no time locking him in as the man that will be expected to help transform their team in to a legitimate contender in the Western Conference over the next few seasons. Here is a look at four things the Gentry hiring as head coach means for New Orleans and fantasy owners:
Maximize The Pelicans Offensive Potential
Gentry’s reputation was bolstered by the fact that he helped construct one of the most dangerous offenses in NBA history in Golden State this past season and there is no doubt he will maximize the Pelicans offensive potential from the outset moving forward. Gentry is regarded as one of the league’s best coaches in terms of offensive X’s and O’s and while it’s a different setting with different players, he will once again have one of the league’s most dominant players to build around in New Orleans with Anthony Davis. The rumor is that the reason the Pelicans went with Gentry over Thibodeau is that Gentry clearly explained how Davis was under-utilized last season. That’s a scary thought.
Gentry’s biggest strength is his ability to space the floor and design plays that maximize the offensive potential of his players and there is no doubt that will be the case again. The Pelicans ranked 16th in the NBA with an average of 99.4 points per game this past season and that number should climb looking forward to Gentry’s first year with the team.
Unleashing The Brow
Davis is already the NBA’s most dominant big man and one of the most dangerous players in the association regardless of his position and it’s scary to think about what Gentry can do with that type of potential at his disposal. Davis averaged a team-high 24.4 points per game as well as 10.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists and while the rebounding averages might stay the same, there is no doubt that he can improve on both his point and assist totals under Gentry. In fact, Davis averaged 31.5 points for New Orleans in the playoffs and it wouldn’t be a shock if his average for next season was a little closer to that postseason mark than the regular season mark.
Finding The Right Fits
Gentry will have the opportunity to craft the Pelicans roster around Davis and that will means tough decisions when it comes to players like Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday and Quincy Pondexter. Gordon and Evans in particular are set to make a combined $27 million next season with Gordon set to become an unrestricted free agent the following year. It looks like Gentry is married to those guys in the short term but if an opportunity arises to move those guys so that he can get players that fit his system, expect it to happen.
Developing The Supporting Cast
The consensus a year ago was that Williams didn’t maximize the talents of players like Gordon and Ryan Anderson as those two players combined to average just 27.1 points per game. Regardless of whether either player is in the team’s long term plans, the bottom line is that Gentry will do more with them for next season. Gordon still has the potential to be one of the league’s better point guards while Anderson’s shooting ability makes him a unique weapon that can stretch the floor with his size and three-point shooting. Holiday, Evans and Pondexter are the other players already locked in for next year while the team will also have the option of whether to bring back Omer Asik and Norris Cole if they can sign them at a reasonable price. Regardless of who is in the fold by the time next season rolls around, we can expect Gentry to maximize the potential of the supporting cast around his superstar player Davis the way the Warriors are built around Stephen Curry.
