Pelicans Reserves Rising to Recent Challenge

Injuries are rarely a positive occurrence. They usually result in a loss of production, leadership or a mix of the two.

But the trials that accompany these injuries do have a slim chance to bear fruit. Now, it is unfair to expect a Lou Gehrig replacing Wally Pipp sized fruit, but a simple positive to write home about would not be too much to ask.

With the Pelicans dealing with injuries to Jrue Holiday, Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson, Luke Babbitt and Alexis Ajinca have played a huge part in keeping the team afloat.

Alexis Ajinca is the prototypical NBA journeyman.

Jan 30, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Alexis Ajinca (42) shoots over Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) during the second half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Clippers 108-103. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Before joining New Orleans last year, Ajinca had only played in 71 games in the league since his debut in 2008 with the Charlotte Bobcats, who selected him with the 20th pick in the draft.

After not playing very often over his first two seasons, Ajinca spent most of his third season on the bench once again, this time as a member of the Dallas Mavericks and the Toronto Raptors.

The reason Ajinca was not playing was simple: he was not producing. His post game was not polished at all, and even in limited minutes he still found himself racking up personal fouls (a habit he has still not shaken off completely).

Feb 25, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Alexis Ajinca (42) rebounds over Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) during the second quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

I cannot remember ever seeing Ajinca play during those three years. If you are seven feet tall and cannot find a role in the NBA, it usually does not bode well for your career.

The only reason I knew the name Alexis Ajinca before he joined the Pelicans was not how he probably would have liked. In the NBA 2k11 video game, Ajinca was the lowest rated player in the NBA.

My friends and I would joke as we drafted teams, “I could probably still beat you even if I started Alexis Ajinca!”. The staying power of that rating was probably increased when the next edition of the game, NBA 2k12, came out. His rating was not the worst anymore, but it still dropped a point.

Frustrated with his legacy up to this point, and rightfully so, Ajinca took his game overseas.

He spent a little over two seasons playing in France, his home country. Astoundingly the seven foot big man managed to grow another two inches while in Europe.

With some time to work on his game out of the NBA spotlight, Ajinca worked hard to earn another opportunity, which the Pelicans granted him.

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Though he still gets into foul trouble, Ajinca has become a real offensive threat.

He has an array of effective moves in the low post, and has shown the ability to consistently knock down mid range jump shots. His shooting stroke is smooth, and he makes his free throws at an 80% clip as a result.

His defense is not fantastic, partly because he is still a pretty lanky guy, but he can still protect the paint as well as any seven foot man should.

Throughout his tenure with New Orleans, everyone from the coaching staff to the players has praised Ajinca’s work ethic and attitude.

It says something about his character when he was not playing consistently, yet still worked to get better day in and day out. As he showed last night, where he posted a career high 24 points, all of that hard work and built up trust is really starting to pay off.

Luke Babbitt’s career path is not all that different from Alexis Ajinca’s.

Feb 23, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Luke Babbitt (8) shoots over Toronto Raptors forward Amir Johnson (15) during the second half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Raptors 100-97. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

He started his career in the 10-11 season with the Portland Trail Blazers. Over his first three seasons, he did not play much. A majority of the time he did spend on the court was usually spent waiting on the three point line.

It was here that he made his living, knocking down triples enough to warrant some defensive attention. But this role is not always an impactful one, and the Blazers let Luke walk when his rookie contract expired.

Unhappy with his play, Babbitt took his game overseas to Russia in August of 2013.

He had some issues overseas with his team Nizhny Novgorod, and forced his way out of his contract and the country in early 2014.

On February 4th of that year, he signed with the Pelicans.

For the remainder of last season and the beginning of this one, Babbitt’s role remained the same. He was on the court to make the occasional three and not much else.

Although he was not playing typical starter minutes, Babbitt was doing his job out of the starting lineup to start the 14-15 season.

Though the shots were not being taken in droves, he was knocking down his three point attempts with a success rate above 50%.

These couple of shots a game were deemed expendable and Luke was driven to the bench for most of January and February.

Just like Ajinca, Babbitt put his head down and worked on his game as he awaited his next opportunity. When the injury bug hit the Pelcans, Babbitt was ready.