Last season the Golden State Warriors hired Alvin Gentry to be their “offensive coordinator,” and the improvement to the offense could be seen immediately.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out that going iso-heavy with the likes of Harrison Barnes wasn’t going to get you very far in the Western Conference, and the addition of Gentry and Steve Kerr immediately changed that, bringing in a motion offense that propelled Golden State to the second best offensive rating in the league (111.6), and first in the league in pace at 98.3 possessions per 48 minutes.
Sadly, Gentry is no longer an assistant coach for the Warriors, as he’s taking his talents to New Orleans to coach the up and coming Pelicans squad led by superstar Anthony Davis. What can the NBA universe expect from Gentry and the Pelicans this upcoming season?
Gentry has coached the Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Clippers, but his best years were when he coached the Phoenix Suns, leading them to the Western Conference Finals in 2010. After starting as an assistant for the Suns in 2003, Gentry was able to learn from one of the best offensive minds in the game and the mastermind behind the “7 Seconds or Less Suns” Mike D’Antoni before taking over as the full-time head coach in 2009.
Gentry went 158-144 as head coach of the Suns in his tenure, coaching a potent offense that made up for one of the worst defenses in the league year in and year out. He never won a title in Phoenix, but Gentry showed the NBA his offensive genius.
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You’d think last year’s Pelicans would be more of an up-tempo team with their personnel, but they were ranked 27th out of 30 teams in pace, averaging 91.4 possessions per 48 minutes. Gentry will immediately change this, and he’ll likely have Davis flying around the court similar to the way Amar’e Stoudemire was able to for those Suns teams back in the day. The 22-year-old Davis will be key for Gentry and the Pelicans because he is a once-in-a-generation type talent (who added a 3-point shot to his arsenal), and him alone with Gentry could propel the Pelicans to a sixth seed in the loaded west.
The only question is how Gentry will strengthen the supporting cast around Davis. Gentry’s teams of the past have had shooters, and the Pelicans lack consistent shooting throughout the roster. Although there is talent on the Pelicans roster — Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holliday, Ryan Anderson — the Pelicans lack a true No. 2 go to player they can give the ball to when things get difficult for Davis.
Gentry’s ability to develop the pieces around Davis is the key to pushing the Pelicans to the next level, and look for this to happen sooner rather than later. The Pelicans are coming, and I fully expect for there to be some epic Pelicans-Warriors playoff series in the near future.