National Basketball Association

Three Takeaways from New Orleans Pelicans 123-116 loss to Houston Rockets

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

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The New Orleans Pelicans’ trip to Shanghai has already proven itself to be very educational after a game one loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday.

The New Orleans Pelicans and Houston Rockets gave the NBA’s Chinese fanbase exactly what it was hoping for today: scoring, style, and sloppiness. Before we can expect the appreciation of a great defensive rotation or sound rebounding stance to translate across oceans, we have to give new basketball markets a taste of what makes this game the most fun. And on Sunday morning, the Pels and Rockets were able to do just that, with Houston winning a shootout, 123-117.

This was the Pelicans’ first televised preseason game, and its placement on NBATV was an understandable part of the league’s effort to make this as much of an event as possible. Considering it took place at 7:30 EST on a football morning, who knows how many fans actually watched. But we did, and so we’re here for you. Come a little closer; we have a recap.

Score one for manufactured rivalries

Sometimes, teams like the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors form rivalries out of organic upheaval (the Donald Sterling situation) or contested matchups (most of the games they play). Other times, it’s simply a byproduct of facing off consistently (the Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers).

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Though they are divisional foes and will face each other four times during the regular season, their rivalry has the makings of those organic upheaval types. I mean, can you even count the number of eery connections here?

Gordon and Anderson leaving for Houston over the summer; Terrence Jones coming from Houston to New Orleans; the Alvin Gentry-Mike D’Antoni Phoenix relationship; Omer Asik’s contentious history with the Rockets organization; Trevor Ariza’s history in New Orleans. Once the two teams actually play, memories will naturally be made. Anderson shook up the foundation enough himself over the summer by saying (and I’m paraphrasing) that he had already found more open space in practice over the summer with Houston than he had had his whole four years in New Orleans. Yuck.

But if this is what happens when players and coaches make silly decisions and end up facing off so directly with former flings, then I’m all for it. Fun stuff.

Pace doesn’t just mean increasing possessions per game

In today’s game, the Pelicans totaled 109 possessions. That is about 13 more than their season average last year, per Basketball-Reference. Of course, as previously mentioned, this game was more about testing the wheels of the offense and giving guys extended run as the season draws nearer. Key players neared 30 minutes in this one, and produced well.

But if this is a sign of things to come for a Pelicans team that ranked ninth in pace last season, it will be a result of the quick decisions they made in the half-court just as much as getting out on the fast break. Each of the guards was looking left and right when they got into the paint, hoping for an opportunity to dish around the arc or along the baseline for a better shot. That’s to be expected for a team designed in Alvin Gentry’s vision, but when the bigs get involved in those plays, it becomes very difficult to guard:

If Omer Asik is getting his Al Horford on, the offense can be silly good. It was only one play, but admittedly one I’d never seen him make, and it worked perfectly, springing E’Twaun Moore free for an open three.

It was also nice to see Buddy Hield make a few plays, which has always been understood as the key to unlocking his potential as more than just a shooter in the NBA:

More rotation clarity with each passing game

Encouraging signs from the offense, especially that Buddy and Moore were both able to get going in a big way in their various roles (ETM starting, Hield off the bench). It’s seeming more and more like this will be the set up going into the season, as Moore’s steady, versatile hand is just too enticing in the starting lineup. With Buddy popping even as a reserve, the smoothness of this option couldn’t have been more smooth.

Also encouraging was the solid game Omer Asik put forth even in a more up-tempo affair. His 14-14 double-double was impressive, and makes me wonder if it’s possible for him to take advantage of matchups against younger, smaller bigs this year if he can keep his stamina high without sacrificing strength. Clint Capela presented one such matchup, and Asik capitalized. However, Nene looked good, flipping and spinning in the paint. Such is life for the Pelicans frontcourt.

The big question, of course, is what to do about Lance Stephenson. He was the team leader in minutes on Sunday, and has been present in various lineups featuring two other guards, in which he acts as the nominal small forward. That’s a role he hasn’t always accepted or been successful in during other stops, but all signs and comments throughout the summer point to a paradigm shift for Lance.

This has always been the ideal fit for him: a three-and-D wing with ball-handling upside, not an over-aggressive point guard who can’t shoot. If he buys into that, the Pelicans might have a real decision to make, regardless of how nice Alonzo Gee looked on a few finger rolls in Sunday’s game.

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