THE New Orleans Pelicans are bolstering their teaching workers for the 2024-25 season. Studies surfaced Friday that former NBA participant Jodie Meeks will sit on Willie Inexperienced’s bench after being a member of the Birmingham G League squad for the previous two seasons. Meeks has performed for seven franchises in a decade within the NBA, specializing in his three-point taking pictures.
The previous Kentucky Wildcats guard averaged 37 % from three-point vary throughout his profession and gained an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors. Meeks performed in 539 regular-season video games throughout his profession.
Meeks’ arrival is smart for the Pelicans, who misplaced taking pictures guru Fred Vinson this summer season when he took an assistant teaching job with the Detroit Pistons. Vinson adopted within the footsteps of former Pelicans basic supervisor Trajan Langdon to the Motor Metropolis when he took the job because the Pistons’ president of basketball operations.
Vinson was instrumental in creating gamers’ taking pictures prowess all through his 15 years in New Orleans, enhancing the taking pictures percentages of Lonzo Ball, Herb Jones and Naji Marshall. Meeks will probably be introduced in, prone to have an identical impression on the Pelicans.
New Orleans completed seventh in three-point taking pictures proportion final season (37.6%), however the Pelicans weren’t a crew that shot loads of three-pointers. They ranked twenty fourth out of 30 NBA groups in three-point makes an attempt per recreation. That quantity ought to improve this season with a change in offensive philosophy.
The Pelicans traded Jonas Valanciunas, Larry Nance, Jr., Cody Zeller and EJ Liddell this summer season. Government vp of basketball operations David Griffin has mentioned the crew will play smaller and sooner this summer season. That ideology is in stark distinction to Pelicans groups of the previous, which all the time had a bona fide middle within the paint.
Now, New Orleans will look to generate extra three-point makes an attempt this yr, one thing head coach Willie Inexperienced has been making an attempt to implement for a while. Inexperienced envisioned the crew making an attempt not less than 40 three-pointers per recreation as an alternative of final yr’s 32. acquisition of Dejounte Murray On the Hawks aspect, the crew has many three-point shooters on its roster.
Murray made 205 three-pointers final season, a career-high. Pelicans level guard CJ McCollum set a franchise document for three-pointers made in a season with 239. Trey Murphy III made 202 three-pointers final season, changing into the fourth Pelicans participant to make not less than 200 three-pointers in a season.
Coach Meeks can have all these shooters to teach and develop. The crew will start coaching camp in lower than two weeks, with the common season beginning Oct. 23 in opposition to the Chicago Bulls.
