The Pelicans' sabbatical operations are largely complete, and it is not known whether the final result will satisfy the Pelicans. To be sure, the plot should not be plan A for the Pelicans. If you lower seven first-round picks + 11 second-round picks + one first-round pick that you almost certainly send, with the goal of simply upgrading Adams to Valanciunas, that obviously doesn't change the situation. The pelican's more important purpose is to clear up the salary space, which includes both the future and the present. After saying goodbye to the blood cloth, the Pelicans were one of the few teams in the offseason to offer a high-dollar contract, and they were clearly pointing to the strongest point guard on the market, Lowry.
It's a very convincing operation, the Pelicans have a vibrant young man, lacking a little old age and tenacity, so the sun's plot of the past year inspired them, and the Pelicans have reason to believe that the combination of old and new is the answer to their confusion.
Reality always makes people see themselves more and more. Just as the girls may not know who to choose, but absolutely know who not to choose, what the stars can see in their eyes will always be 2 to 3 next home. The Pelicans probably forgot that the Sun was able to meet Paul, in addition to thanking the years and fate for confiscating the superstar's right to choose a mate, but also because the dog had given a huge contract that had not expired, and Lowry was free. When the pelicans stood shoulder to shoulder with the lone walker in the corner watching the heat kill the madness, it was no accident that everything that happened to the "eighteenth year, the alma mater dance party" happened.
You can focus on the free market and stabilize your own stars. The Lone Ranger keeps Hardaway, but the Pelicans let go of Ronzo Ball and eats Graham with the space cleared up on the free market, which is about one of the 5 most incomprehensible operations in the summer of 2021.
Part of the puzzle is that Ball certainly wanted to leave the Pelicans. Ball was low-key and didn't talk nonsense, but his father certainly didn't look up to the Pelicans. As Ingram fans are anxious about, all Pelicans stars will be questioned about their passion for playing here, and whenever they have the chance, they will find another high. The Pelicans did not pay attention to Bauer in their vacation plans, which is a situation that can be seen for a long time, and it can be said that before the free market opens in 2021, the two sides seem to be doomed to break up.
But anyway, Ball is a restricted free agent, and the Pelicans can keep Ingram, and in theory, they won't have to keep Ball. The biggest hanger about this is that the Pelicans didn't even think of Ball as a plan B, which was the opposite of the way they had when they got Ball. Two years later, Bow became a better player, the Pelicans did not have the enthusiasm they had, and the contract that the Bulls gave him was even less than 20 million. Even if the Pelicans don't think Ball is the long-term answer to the No. 1 position, it won't be difficult for them to hold it in their hands and make another shot in the future.
As a result, they accepted the offer from the bull Sato + Temple + second round. While both Sarto and Temple are usable rotations, they are unlikely to be within the long-term plan.
The pelican's three operations before and after the opening of the free market were quite puzzling, so I said at the time:
"I'm not really sure where the Pelicans' choice will end up, they exchanged the whole money for change, and they seem to have more flexibility..."
This means that maybe the Pelicans still have some ideas that need time to implement, but after that, the Pelicans didn't make a big move, and the other boot never fell. Maybe as the season progresses, they have the potential to steal Simmons after the restrictions on the deals they have signed to their new contracts are lifted, but they can't do it at this moment.
The table below shows the age and game influence of the players involved in the pelicans' three major operations, and it can be seen that, in addition to Varanciunas being indeed a dick, the pelicans' operations so far do not seem to have made them stronger or made them younger.
The Pelicans, however, paid 2 first rounds for this result, dropping 7 picks in the first round of the year. From a salary perspective, the Pelicans have a chance to get a lot of free space next summer, and the question is, who will use this space to cast a net in the market? Can the Pelicans get a stronger player than Valanciunas from the free market?
If it's the plot of Standing Like a...
Pelican management has been spat upon in recent years, of course, not without reason.
The only thing that gave the Pelicans a consolation was that while they dropped to 17th in the first round, Murphy proved the Pelicans got the players they needed.
The two things the Pelicans need most can be clearly reflected in their team data:
In the 20-21 season, the Pelicans ranked 28th and 26th in the league in terms of three-point frequency and three-point shooting rate, respectively, making them one of the worst teams in the league space;
In the 20-21 season, the Pelicans ranked 23rd in the league in defensive efficiency.
Looking around Fat Tigers and Ingram for players who can shoot three-pointers and defend, that's what the Pelicans should do.
Murphy is one of those players, and his 4 summer league games have been impressive, including 4 three-pointers totaling 11-of-25, 20+ in 2 games, 7 assists in a single game, and 7 steals and 5 blocks in 4 games. His data at the university is more convincing:
He has always been a good three-pointer, shooting 12.3 three-pointers in 100 rounds in three years of college, shooting 40.1%, the sample is large enough, and the shooting screen is smooth and credible;
He has an 81.9 percent free throw shooting percentage, and his three years of college have improved year by year, and his free throw shooting rate has reached 92.7 percent in his junior year. Projection is really good;
His 58 percent two-point shooting percentage is also reliable, and relying on his height of 2.06 meters can be a good finisher.
In fact, Murphy's junior stats made it to the "180 Club", and his size and handsome efficiency remind me of Otto Porter, or Bridges last season. While you can't expect Murphy to be the development attacker for the time being, he's quite suitable as a 3D supporting role, and after getting physically stronger, Murphy has a chance to become the next quality 3D striker in the league.
After you've completed the accumulation of top talent — Fat Tiger, historic talent; Ingram, as the second-in-command talented enough — using the mid-range draft pick to get instant combat is a very reasonable and reliable choice, which is the most correct decision for the Pelicans throughout their vacation.
Another rookie the Pelicans got, Herb Jones, is also a wing-sized player, with a height of 1.98 meters and an arm span of 2.13 meters, with the Acquisition templer, the Marshall who was previously excavated, the Pelicans have more players over 2 meters or about 2 meters on the flanks.
However, where does that put the Pelicans' defense?
Regardless of whether these people are either too young or too old, the time they eat in the rotation is a question, and their frontal staff increases at the same time, and there are problems at the same time. Varan is no better defensive than Adams, and Sarto is certainly Ball's next-place replacement — the tallest organizer who can switch defenses — but Graham, as a backfield that will eat up a lot of rotation time, defense can't be counted on. Unless the two main fronts of Fat Tiger and Orioles make big progress on the defensive end, and Murphy comes up with enough to contribute on the defensive end faster than expected, it's still hard to imagine the Pelicans entering the top half of the league at this end.
If you just look at the Pelicans' personnel changes, you can only say that they made a smart draft, but this is not enough to make up for their mediocre performance in the trading market, and it is not enough to let them get a qualitative leap.
Of course, the Pelicans will most likely make progress because:
First, they changed coaches. Although Willie Green is a post-80s man, and his rich resume cannot offset the Pelican's feng shui, it is difficult to imagine what it would be like to do worse than the big Van Gundy;
Second, they are young and talented enough, Fat Tiger and Ingram needless to talk about, Hayes, Lewis, Walker a little bit of progress, are all surprises.
You can also expect the Pelicans to play an alternative and unsolvable offense:
They have the most dominant basket suppression in the league, the fat tiger's historical attack + Varland dominated by the front plate and the end, will destroy all small ball interior combinations, but also put a huge pressure on the current popular combination of 4 outside + 1 - can the Pelicans use the internal destructive power to force opponents to the double tower? Quite possibly;
And after the opponent has piled up the strength under the basket, the Pelicans can also counter them. Graham was the only five players who played more than 1,000 minutes last season to shoot 10 or more three-pointers per 36 minutes while maintaining a shooting percentage of more than 37 percent. Moreover, compared to shooters like Hield and Bertans, Graham is more able to pass the ball, and he has a better chance of connecting with the Pelicans' powerful inside hammer;
With a heavy hammer inside and artillery on the outside, coupled with Ingram's medium-range fighting sword, the Pelicans' offense will be difficult to defend and good-looking.
It's hard to defend, it's good to watch, and that's actually what we're looking forward to for the Pelicans during last year's offseason. It's hard to immediately see the Pelicans as potential contenders in the West, and even a playoff ticket will require multiple steps of progress or a transformation of a link, such as the Fat Tigers in the third season of their careers, to really reach the level of the Emperor Superstar.
It is not surprising that the Pelicans do not fundamentally solve the team's problems, and it is not surprising that it always takes time to build a team, talent to be slowly cashed in, and reinforcement also needs fate. The Pelicans' talent, combined with draft picks, still puts them on the league's roster of the most promising teams, which is more comfortable than the Lone Rangers who fail to complete enough primitive accumulation, consume future assets, and can improve the limited channels.
But time is not waiting for people, before the Fat Tiger completes the early renewal next year, the Pelicans dare not say that they are brighter than the future of the Lone Ranger, after all, Doncic is bound to the Lone Ranger, the Pelicans have not yet done the same thing, and similar to last year and this year, such a not-so-wise vacation period operation is twice, and the thick family foundation can not be carried.
Such a story has been seen by everyone in recent years.