July 22nd - New Orleans Pelicans vs Brooklyn Nets - SCRIMMAGE
ICYMI: The Pelicans will broadcast all three of the team’s scrimmages leading up to the 2019-20 NBA regular season restart!
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) July 21, 2020
Story: https://t.co/pLLN6jJdM9
(Sign up section in the story to be alerted when the streams go live!) #WontBowDown | @SherGarnerLaw pic.twitter.com/0dSqqu5Jh5
So, it's been some time. But, putting aside all the concerns about the bubble and the quarantines and the logistics of the entire thing, I have to say that I am very very happy to once again be posting a thread because there will be New Orleans Pelicans basketball again within the next 24 hours!
I'm not gonna post a whole bunch of information here, because it's just a scrimmage, and the Nets are missing dang near their entire team anyway so it's really not going to be a very serious thing.
What I will write, however, is some quotes from Gentry's most recent media availability regarding this scrimmage, and the next few games in general:
Minutes: ''We'll definitely ramp guys up. There's gonna be guys that play less minutes in the first scrimmage than in the second or the third. We're not gonna play anybody 30 minutes in a 40 minute scrimmage, so, uh, the first scrimmage, I think you'll see a lot of different lineups out there because of the minutes restriction. Not really restriction but the number of minutes we'll be playing guys, during the first scrimmage.''
Things he's looking for: ''I think the biggest thing that we have to do is that we have to concentrate on keeping the ball out of the paint. One of the top things will be dribble penetration, trying to control dribble penetration of Brooklyn and from there we'd like to see some things offensively as far as spacing and ball movement and things like that. But the big thing that I'd like to see is that we've got to be able to sit down and guard the ball.''
On the layoff and the way it's like a mini off season for players to work on their games: ''I still think that even playing the 60 something games we played, we have a pretty good handle on the areas where they need to get better. Obviously the whole situation with the maturation of your body and the transformation from a teenager to a 20 year old and a 21 year old, that's gonna in itself make them a little bit better but we just have to continue to understand that growth is going to be there but this is an unusual situation, but we still have an opportunity to understand what needs to be worked on and how they need to get better.''
On Jax and NAW: ''I don't know, I mean obviously we won't know until we're actually in the games to start playing with adjustments we'll make and the number of minutes they can play. I think it's important to understand that we like both of those guys and think they're going to be really good players, we think Zion's going to be a great player, we have other young players like Lonzo and BI, and obviously we have a very good nucleus of young players. What I've tried to say to those guys is that if something doesn't happen overnight, that doesn't mean you're not going to be a really good player in this league, you just need to give it time to happen.''
Just some input from Jax also:
On defensive improvement: ''I wouldn't say I had too much trouble with that [protecting the paint], the problem was more with picking up fouls and being in the right spot. Derrick and the coaches have helped me with the timing and being in the right spot and knowing which blocks to go for, stuff like that.''
On NAW: ''He's always had this confidence and been able to hoop, so it's nothing really new. He's obviously expanded on his game but he's still the same bucket, making good plays, smart passes, trying to grow and listen from the other guards. [is his confidence higher?] For sure for sure.''
But that's really all I'm going to say and welcome back to NBA basketball, everybody.
 |
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by roberthgrove
Contributor 
