I still remember Alvin Gentry coaching the Phoenix Suns and he got them in the playoffs with Steve Nash spear heading the Suns, the only difference now is he does not have his full
roster since Zion Williamson has been out all of the regular season with a knee injury. The Pelicans are not very good on defense and close to last in defensive rating and not having Zion Williamson out there would sure have an impact on the team. I have never seen such a physically imposing athlete like Zion and no I’m not exaggerating, I was mind boggled by the kid’s explosiveness off a missed shot.
The Pelicans still have a shot at the playoffs, they are 8-23 and stand at 14th in the Western Conference. I would not fire Alvin Gentry this season, if the Pelicans fail to make the playoffs it might be time to cut ties but give him a shot with Zion Williamson on the basketball court. There are rumors Zion Williamson might sit out the entire season since New Orleans prioritizes him as the face of the franchise but if Zion Williamson wants to play and he feels ready the Pelicans should allow him to play, the NBA ratings are down and in my honest opinion it’s because Zion Williamson has not suited up.
Sorry if this article sounds more like it’s about Zion than Gentry but I know how skilled Zion Williamson is, he is the perfect basketball player for today’s game. The Pelicans could use Zion Williamson at the center position the same way the Golden State Warriors did for 5 years with Draymmond Green in what was known as the death lineup with Curry,Klay,Iguodala,Durant,Green. Now obviously Zion Williamson does not have three elite shooters to work with like Curry,Klay, and Durant but Ingram and Lonzo are pretty darn versatile and oozing with potential on both ends of the floor.
I remain a big believer of Lonzo Ball’s potential despite Alvin Gentry juggling him in and out of the starting lineup. Gentry said playing Lonzo with the second unit would allow him to get the second unit going with his play-making ability. Lonzo Ball has been re-inserted into the starting line-up recently and the struggles on the offensive end continue but at least he is shooting close to 34 percent from the 3 point line, that is much better than Westbrook’s 25 percent this season. Long-term I do not know the Pelicans plans but I believe they should let Alvin Gentry finish the season.
I wanted to extend a bit more on Zion Williamson because I know a lot of NBA fans feel he will be a bust, they feel he won’t be the same coming off the injury he suffered during the preseason but believe me I think Zion Williamson will rival Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokoumpo for the crown of the NBA. Just think about it, it took Giannis Antetokoumpo 3-4 years to develop into the player he is now, Zion Williamson is already bigger in his rookie season than Giannis Antetokoumpo currently is. And we all know Giannis coming down the lane is a freight train and it’s a basket over the top of you or he’s euro stepping for a lay-in. Zion Williamson can go through you or around you in transition, his ball handling and basketball IQ are very underrated parts of his game. Fans just see the athlete he is and the rim rattling dunks, I see what he can do defensively and how fundamentally sound he is.
To conclude I can’t wait until Zion Williamson comes back and let’s let Alvin Gentry play the season out. We could blame him for not being able to carry the Pelicans anywhere with a superstar like Anthony Davis for years but maybe Anthony Davis was the problem. Maybe Zion Williamson will actually be able to elevate a team on his own unlike Anthony Davis, because I’ll tell you that Zion Williamson is already a better play-maker than Anthony Davis has ever been and defensively I think he could be just as good so stay tuned, let’s see how the season plays out. Any video or article requests shoot me an email at dbeato353@gmail.com.
D-NBA 