“I’m excited about the prospects of the people we’ve added, because they’re going to give us a little grit and toughness that we were lacking last year,” second-year head coach Alvin Gentry said on a recent episode of the Black and Blue Report. “I think it’s a situation where everything could really be good… Collectively, they will change the culture in our locker room. The thing I like about them is there is a toughness about them that we really need on this team. They’re young, hungry guys trying to carve out a reputation and a legacy for themselves in this league. They play extremely hard, they’re unselfish players, high-character guys. You add those kinds of ingredients to your locker room, it’s going to be better.”
New Orleans (30-52 during an injury-ravaged 2015-16 season) also wants to continue emphasizing playing at a faster pace under Gentry. Per NBA.com, the Pelicans ranked 11th in possessions per 48 minutes (98.91) last season, but Gentry’s most successful recent teams have placed much higher. New Orleans placed in the top 10 in pace during only one month of '15-16 (sixth in March, with a lowest rank of 19th in December).
“In general, they’re guys who like to get up and down the court, pretty athletic guys,” Gentry said of July free-agent additions Solomon Hill, E’Twaun Moore, Langston Galloway and Terrence Jones. With Media Day just 11 days away, here’s a closer look at the quartet of primary Pelicans acquisitions:
Veteran additions expected to bring grit, toughness to Pelicans
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Originally Posted by Lelicans
