National Basketball Association

Five Takeaways From New Orleans Pelicans Preseason Win Versus Mavericks

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

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After a win to start preseason play, the New Orleans Pelicans are feeling confident in their player’s abilities for the upcoming season.

The New Orleans Pelicans can be proud of their first preseason game of the season.

The Pelicans were able to hold on for a big win against the Dallas Mavericks 116-102. This is just the beginning of action for New Orleans, yet their comfort in this contest has confidence booming.

There were six different players who finished with at least 10 points for the Pelicans, with E’Twaun Moore and Buddy Hield leading the team at 19 each. As a team, New Orleans shot 57.3% from the floor and 57.1% from behind the arc, making 12-21 three-point attempts.

The Pelicans dominated the game in many facets. They outrebounded Dallas 44-36 and out-assisted the Mavericks 29-23. While they did commit 16 turnovers, a number much higher than their season average last year, that could be due to the fact many of the players are new to the system.

Anthony Davis played only 12 minutes of the contest for 13 points and three rebounds, yet that can easily be because the team wants to ease him back into the flow and avoid injury risk before the campaign begins.

While there was so much to look at for the Pelicans, there were five big takeaways from the game to think about for the long term future.

Oct 1, 2016; Bossier City, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Terrence Jones (9) guards Dallas Mavericks forward Quincy Acy (4) during the second half at CenturyLink Center. New Orleans won 116-102. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

Takeaway Number One: The New Orleans Pelicans are deeper than they’ve been in a long time.

Even without Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans and Quincy Pondexter, New Orleans still had plenty of capable players on the floor tonight. Not only were there six players with at least 10 points, but 12 players logged at least 10 minutes on the floor.

Sure, some of those guys were getting extended looks, such as Chieck Diallo. Still, the fact this team could afford to play their depth so long and still get the production they did is a great sign. The only one of those 12 players to not register a bucket was Solomon Hill. Good signs on the depth front.

The player with the most minutes in the game was Terrence Jones with 30, who saw plenty of minutes at the four and five tonight.

Jones had a good game, with 17 points, five rebounds and three assists. Not stunning, but for the role he played, he did not disappoint. His defense against a small Mavericks team was strong enough to limit Dallas’ points in the paint.

Unlike previous seasons, New Orleans seems capable of going 10 or more deep into their roster during the regular season. It is a promising look for an already injury plagued team.

Takeaway Number Two: Buddy Hield looks much more comfortable

The NBA Summer League was a scare for New Orleans Pelicans, fans as far as Hield’s play is concerned.

Hield remedied that a lot tonight with his outstanding game.

Buddy finished with 19 points on 8-12 shooting and 3-6 on three-pointers. He added along six rebounds and three assists. The four turnovers is still troubling, yet he’s a rookie. It’s not completely unexpected. He still executed a strong first game with the team. Many agreed it was a productive debut, including John Reid of NOLA.com

His strong shooting is the highlight of this debut. However, while it’s the major point of emphasis for Hield, his play in other areas is a big key for him going forward.

But the best sign of the night was his comfort on both ends. He meshed well with every teammate he saw the floor with. His passing had strong moments, along with his defensive play.

It was not a perfect game by any means, yet it is still a strong start for a player with great potential, that was overshadowed by his NBA Summer League play.

Oct 1, 2016; Bossier City, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Tim Frazier (2) with head coach Alvin Gentry during the first half against the Dallas Mavericks at CenturyLink Center. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

Takeaway Number Three: Tim Frazier continued to shine as a Pelican.

Frazier did not get the start in this game, but his play may get him the starts in the regular season. Frazier logged 28 minutes and put up 10 points, nine assists and six rebounds.

The nine assists, which is more than double what any other Pelican had, is not a surprise.

What is a shock is he was tied for the lead in rebounds for New Orleans with Buddy Hield.

Frazier was all over the floor. His transition game helped the Pelicans get easy buckets. He kept up the effort on defense, taking advantage of Dallas’ lack of height at the point guard position.

He most certainly outperformed Langston Galloway, who saw the start of the game next to E’Twaun Moore. The Pelicans seem to like the chemistry between Moore and Galloway, yet as far as potential production, Frazier has shown more than Langston so far.

This game had good matchups for Frazier and he made a statement with it. He used his speed to blow past the Mavs’ guards and set up easy buckets for his teammates. He was also on the defensive glass and played a strong defensive game overall. This is a promising sign for Frazier’s potential this season.

Oct 1, 2016; Bossier City, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Lance Stephenson (5) dribbles on Dallas Mavericks forward Nicolas Brussino (9) during the second half at CenturyLink Center. New Orleans won 116-102. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

Takeaway Number Four: The Pelicans are taking a very serious look at Lance Stephenson.

The fringe players trying to make the roster did not get good signs tonight for the most part. Robert Sacre did not play, while Shawn Dawson, Chris Copeland and Quinn Cook saw just three minutes each.

The case is different for Lance. While Alonzo Gee was a healthy DNP, Stephenson played 23 minutes for New Orleans. That is more than Langston Galloway and Solomon Hill, who started the game for New Orleans. He played well too, putting up 10 points on 5-8 shooting, four rebounds and three assists.

It was not all pretty for Lance. He might have played longer, yet he fouled out of the game with five and a half still to play. Add along three turnovers and the concerns are definitely there.

Still, New Orleans played him quite a bit for a newer signing. What might be the biggest surprise was the Pelicans playing him a good portion of the game at small forward. It’s not the strongest position for Lance, yet he did not seem to take too much of a dive in his game playing it.

With Stephenson’s flexibility and skill set, the front office may be serious in its consideration at the former Pacer standout to shore up depth. It might mean grave news for Gee and the others fighting for a spot.

Oct 1, 2016; Bossier City, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry on hte bench during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at CenturyLink Center. New Orleans won 116-102. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

Takeaway Number Five: Alvin Gentry is not afraid to go VERY small this season

One of the biggest statements Head Coach Alvin Gentry made tonight was his decisions in rotations.

At one point, the Pelicans ran Tim Frazier, Buddy Hield, Lance Stephenson, Dante Cunningham and Jones as a lineup.

Gentry showed his fearless confidence in the smaller Pelicans. The center combo of Alexis Ajinca and Omer Asik combined for just 28 total minutes in the game, compared to Terrence Jones’ 30 minutes on his own.

Gentry believes this team can play defense against the best of the NBA, even if they are playing some players out of their comfort position. It is a more “team oriented” defensive approach, which could be the answer to the team’s massive struggles on that end from last year.

The New Orleans Pelicans won a basketball game tonight, however the lessons they learned from this contest may become the bigger win long term. For this basketball team to make the leap to contender, they will need to learn from how they played tonight and adjust accordingly in order to have a realistic chance at competing for a playoff spot in the NBA.

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