Can Pelicans Backcourt Step Up After Recent Injuries?
By Mike Delayo
The Pelicans will not stop playing their games with Holiday out. In the mean time Tyreke Evans, Eric Gordon, Jimmer Fredette and Nate Wolters all have a chance to show what they can do from the point guard spot.
Holiday is a tough player to replace. He is clearly the best creator and perimeter defender on the roster. It would be unfair to ask any one of these players to take sole responsibility of filling the void. They will have to adjust to the situation and help each other carry the load.
After Nate Wolters cleared waivers a couple of weeks ago, New Orleans swooped in to sign the second year guard to a 10 day contract. Although he lacks shooting range and the ability to create his own shots regularly, he does fill in some of the Pelicans’ holes on both ends of the floor.
Wolters takes exceptional care of the ball. Last season as a rookie on the Milwaukee Bucks, he averaged 3.2 assists and 1 turnover in about 23 minutes across 58 games. Despite not starting, that poise in and of itself is impressive for any rookie guard. Compared to Evans, Gordon, Fredette and even Holiday, Wolters is probably the most standard point guard on the roster. He takes the ball up the floor, gets the offense into its sets, and does not often isolate himself for his own shot.
His defense is also surprisingly effective:
He is quick enough to stick with speedy guards and tough enough to fight through screens to contest shots. His ability to rotate correctly and efficiently is shown here, and was seen multiple times against LA.
What I liked most from him on Wednesday night was his knack for always staying mobile. He scored on two easy looks that came as a result of simple off ball cuts, a rarity in the often stagnant half court offense of New Orleans.
Wolters brings some solid tools to the table that may be able to at least slow the bleeding from Holiday’s absence. If the Pelicans are in dire need of some shooting, Jimmer will still be given some minutes. However, I think that Wolters (if the Pelicans sign him for the rest of the season) will continue to see the floor more often.
Tyreke Evans has played point guard in the past, and his play style remains the same regardless of what position he is playing. He has started every game since Jrue went down, and his production has remained steady. He can tend to focus too much on getting to the rim for himself but he has definitely shown the ability to create for his teammates.
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Given his 6’6″ frame, having Tyreke at the point adds a degree of defensive versatility to the Pelicans. He can switch onto the other guard or even a small forward.
Evans has the reins of the offense for a couple weeks. We will just have to see what happens.
The same case cannot be made for Eric Gordon, who will also be responsible for shouldering some more of the ball handling load.
For his entire career Gordon has been known as a scorer first, second and third. It is just what he does. However, since his return from injury he has averaged 4.4 assists a game, which matches his career high from his stellar 10-11 season in Los Angeles.
Wednesday night, he managed to rack up 10 assists. Aside from maybe 1 or 2, these assists where all efficient passes that Gordon made to put his teammates in a position to score. He truly looked like a floor general the way he was driving and kicking to the open man, making pocket passes to Davis, and occasionally getting into a rhythm of his own.
I know this game is an aberration given his history and the Lakers lack of defense. But it was still nice to see that the backcourt still has a pulse with the lead man on the sidelines.
It is most likely impossible that the void left by Holiday can be filled. The Pelicans do have some capable guards in the mean time that might just be able to hold down the fort.
Next: What Impact Will Jrue Holiday's Injury Have On Pelicans?