National Basketball Association

Alexis Ajinca is the Casualty of New Orleans Pelicans' Identity Makeover

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

With the New Orleans Pelicans’ moves this offseason a marker of an “Identity Makeover”, center Alexis Ajinca could see himself become the odd man out.

Alexis Ajinca is a part of a completely different New Orleans Pelicans team this year.

The Pelicans’ offseason was filled with changes to the roster, as major pieces like Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon were replaced with E’Twaun Moore, Buddy Hield, Solomon Hill and Terrence Jones.

Not only has the roster changed, but the philosophies of the team have seemed to shift as well. Instead of an full-offensive juggernaut, the Pelicans now are looking at a defensively balanced crew, that’s capable of switching whenever necessary. The offense is more focused on spacing for their star players, instead of the high-powered scoring festival.

New Orleans looks to lean on balance instead of one-dimensional players. It’s why the scoring specialists were replaced with all-around players with talents on both sides of the ball.

That does not bode well for Alexis Ajinca.

The problem with Ajinca is he’s only really good at one thing: Scoring.

He can put the ball in the basket in multiple different ways. Whether it’s from post moves, spacing his jumpers similar to Al Horford or getting on the offensive glass.

Past that, there is not much he does to help the team win. He’s an okay rebounder, yet his lack of physical strength inside leaves him vulnerable to stronger players. His defense has always been a weak point to his game, as he can’t stand strong on post-ups.

He’s also a non-factor in transition. His speed is a tiny bit better than Omer Asik, yet still not a good compliment to Alvin Gentry‘s plans to turn this team to the new “Defense-into-Offense mentality. He wants them to force misses and hurt opponents in transition. Ajinca does not have many skills to bring to that kind of game.

It may be the eventual downfall to his chances on the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Pelicans have already struggled to integrate Asik into the system. They’re now focused on getting athletic stretch-fives, similar to what they want Anthony Davis to play. If that’s the plan, then Ajinca will be as good as gone. He can not surpass Omer’s skill set and would play the exact same role in New Orleans’ current system.

Ajinca has fought hard to prove his worth in the NBA. His past three seasons in New Orleans were inspiring. However, his time on the Pelicans is running out. His deal is cap friendly and could very well be traded by New Orleans to help get a player that fits their system. It makes a lot more sense to the team than keeping a player that does not fit.

For all that Alexis Ajinca has done for the New Orleans Pelicans, his time with the team is nearing its end. His skill set no longer fits the direction of the squad and will likely spell his departure, most likely via a trade. Alexis Ajinca will still be a serviceable big on an up-and-coming team in the NBA. It just will not be the New Orleans Pelicans in the foreseeable future.