New Orleans Pelicans Blog – Page 20 – NBA Blog

Anthony Davis and Julius Randle could do big things together

Anthony Davis no longer has DeMarcus Cousins as a teammate, but new squad member Julius Randle could do big things next to him. The two form one of the most interesting frontcourt combos in the league, and are worth keeping an eye on, especially early in the season to see how well they learn to play together. Of course, chemistry development takes time. Here’s The Advocate reporting:

“The stuff I’ve seen (Julius) do with the Lakers has been awesome,” Davis said. “His ability to be a playmaker. His ability to score out of the post on anybody. It can be bigger guys or smaller guys. He’s going to go through your chest and get a bucket, go to the line. He’s another guy who can do pretty much everything. When you have a guy like that, it’s hard not to be excited to play with a guy like that. I’m excited to see how it flows in a game.”

Collectively, David and Randle averaged 44.2 points and 19.1 rebounds last season for their respective teams. That’s 28.1 points and 16.1 rebounds for Davis and 16.1 points and 8 rebounds for Randle.

Randle looks forward to the possibilities.

For the first time in his NBA career, he’ll be playing alongside an MVP-caliber player.

“I’ve never been in a situation where I got to play with a player like AD,” Randle said. “For me, I feel like it makes my job a lot easier. I can just go out there and do what I naturally do, which is play hard. Everything else works itself out because he takes so much pressure off all of us. We already know hat he can do on both ends of the floor and how he affects the game.”

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Pelicans waive Emeka Okafor

The New Orleans Pelicans requested waivers on center Emeka Okafor today.

Okafor, 6-10, 252, appeared in 26 regular season games last season with New Orleans after signing with the team on February 3, 2018 and finished the season with averages of 4.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game.

It’s tough to say if Okafor will find his way back into the NBA. Right now he’s a longshot to make a regular season roster.

Pelicans sign Jarrett Jack

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed guard Jarrett Jack.

Jack, 6-3, 200, most recently played for the New York Knicks, appearing in 62 games last season (56 starts) while averaging 7.5 points, 5.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 25.0 minutes per contest.

This will be Jack’s third stint with New Orleans, as he appeared in two games with the Pelicans in 2016-17 and 115 games between 2010-12. In 117 regular season games for New Orleans, Jack has averaged 11.1 points, 4.0 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 25.1 minutes per game.

Selected 22nd overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 2005 NBA Draft out of Georgia Tech, Jack has appeared in 867 career regular season games with Portland, Toronto, New Orleans, Golden State, Cleveland, Brooklyn and New York, holding averages of 10.8 points, 4.6 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 27.8 minutes per contest.

On the Pelicans and their defense

Here’s The Advocate with some thoughts on the Pelicans and what makes them tick when things are going their way:

But underneath the waves of full-court sprints and lit-up scoreboards, the backbone of the Pelicans’ success was their stingy and savvy defense. Despite the onslaught of speed, they were able to stymie opposing offenses from scoring efficiently in transition, while effectively bottling up the halfcourt pick-and-roll.

From Feb. 1 onward, New Orleans allowed just 103.4 points per 100 possessions, the league’s fourth-best overall output and ranked No. 1 in defending the pick-and-roll. It allowed the Pelicans to win 20 of their final 28 games, while vaulting both Holiday and Davis to be the only teammates named first-team All-Defense selections.

Now, a week away from the opening of training camp, and with a recalibrated roster in place, the Pelicans’ mission is to re-engineer their defense to match the output generated in those final 35 games.

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Anthony Davis reportedly parts ways with agent

Anthony Davis is one of the league’s top stars, though his Pelicans squad needs more talent for their win totals to turn anyone’s heads. But on an individual level, Davis has decided to make a change. Here’s ESPN.com reporting:

New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis has parted ways with longtime agent Thad Foucher, sources told ESPN.

To officially change agents, players are required to file paperwork with the players’ union and then wait 15 days. Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, who represents LeBron James among others, is a leading contender to represent Davis, sources said.

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Clippers match Pelicans offer sheet, retain Tyrone Wallace

The L.A. Clippers have exercised their right of first refusal and will retain guard Tyrone Wallace.

Per NBA rule, the Clippers had two days to match the offer sheet provided to Wallace by the New Orleans Pelicans.

Wallace spent training camp with Los Angeles before the club’s G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, acquired his returning player rights from the Salt Lake City Stars in October 2017. He spent the early part of the 2017-18 season with Agua Caliente, appearing in 26 games and averaged 22.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. On January 6, Wallace signed a two-way contract with the L.A. Clippers, appearing in 30 games for Los Angeles and averaged 9.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 28.4 minutes.

“We identified Tyrone as a versatile, competitive and tough-minded player who adds to the organizational culture,” said Frank. “Ty worked hard with our staff at Agua Caliente and Los Angeles, and his growth has been a reflection of his commitment to getting better. Together with our team’s player development program, Ty demonstrated impressive improvement and contributed meaningfully to our team last season. We are excited to welcome Ty back to the Clippers.”

A native of Bakersfield, CA, Wallace was selected 60th overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2016 NBA Draft out of the University of California, Berkeley.

Pelicans sign Darius Morris

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed guard Darius Morris.

Morris, 6-4, 195, most recently played for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League, appearing in three games at the end of the regular season and averaging 19.0 points, 7.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds.

Selected 41st overall in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, the University of Michigan product has appeared in 132 career regular season games with the Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets, holding averages of 3.3 points, 1.4 assists and 1.0 rebounds. Additionally, Morris has appeared in 65 career G League games with Los Angeles and Rio Grande Valley, averaging 19.1 points, 6.4 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals

Pelicans waive DeAndre Liggins

The New Orleans Pelicans waived guard DeAndre Liggins today.

Liggins, 6-6, 209, appeared in 27 games (three starts) for New Orleans last season after being originally signed on January 10, averaging 1.6 points and 1.0 rebounds in 9.0 minutes.

The Pelicans had an interesting offseason. Their biggest change is losing DeMarcus Cousins, who is still healing from injury, and adding power forward Julius Randle, who could do big things alongside superstar Anthony Davis. Other roster changes took place as well, but that’s the big one.

As for Liggins, he was a longshot to make the regular season roster, but could latch on with another team.

Pelicans sign Jahlil Okafor

Jahlil Okafor’s quest to find his place in the NBA will continue, now in New Orleans.

The Pelicans signed Okafor, a free agent center, today. According to ESPN.com, “a source told ESPN that Okafor’s deal includes a partial guarantee for the 2018-19 season and a team option for the following season.”

Okafor, 6-11, 275, played last season with the Philadelphia 76ers (two games) and Brooklyn Nets (26 games), averaging 6.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per contest.

Originally selected with the third overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft out of Duke University, Okafor has appeared in 131 career regular season games (81 starts) with Philadelphia and Brooklyn, holding career averages of 12.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 23.5 minutes per game.

CBS Sports had this to say about the signing: “The Pelicans’ big men that they’ll certainly be keeping in rotation next season now include Anthony Davis, Julius Randle and Nikola Mirotic. Last season, each of those three players averaged over 12 percent of their points on the fast break. For Davis, it was 12.7 percent. For Mirotic, 14.6 percent. And for newcomer Randle, 16.8 percent with the Lakers. The Pelicans as a whole led the league in pace last season, according to NBA Stats, and their pace only increased after DeMarcus Cousins went down just before the All-Star Break. After Cousins’ injury, they led the NBA in percentage of points scored in transition at 17.7 percent.”

Pelicans sign forward Troy Williams

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed free agent forward Troy Williams.

Williams, 6-7, 220, was a member of the New York Knicks’ 2018 Summer League team, appearing in five contests and averaging 11.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 20.6 minutes per game.

During the 2017-18 season, Williams appeared in 21 contests for the Knicks and the Houston Rockets, averaging 6.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game. He also played in 19 games (17 starts) last season for Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League, averaging 19.8 points while shooting 46.4% from the field, 5.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 29.1 minutes per game.

Originally undrafted in 2016 out of Indiana University, Williams has appeared in 51 career regular season games for Memphis, Houston and New York, holding averages of 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 16.9 minutes per game.