Stan Van Gundy is back as a head coach after he was named the new mentor of the New Orleans Pelicans. The 61-year-old last handled the Detroit Pistons during the 2017-18 wars and will try to weave his magic once more into a youthful but talent-filled squad.
Van Gundy was a plausible choice since he was considered as a teacher to players. This makes him a perfect fit, especially with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
There are a lot of other players who stand to gain from his appointment, particularly Lonzo Ball. Though the young guard has shown a lot of promise as a facilitator, it remains that his shooting remains atrocious though he is trying to improve on that. As far as Gundy is concerned, he knows that Ball will eventually find his rhythm and develop that perimeter shot sorely missing in his game.
I’m excited to join a talented New Orleans Pelicans team. It will be an honor to work with our players and to work for Mrs. Benson and David Griffin, Trajan Langdon, their staff and the great people of New Orleans. I can’t wait to talk to our players and get the process started — Stan Van Gundy (@realStanVG) October 21, 2020
“Now, I think Alvin Gentry had convinced him like ‘No, no, no, you’re going to keep shooting the ball and if you’re open, you shoot it.’ So, I think that they’ve got a good thing in Lonzo Ball,” Van Gundy said via USA Today.
Last season, Ball saw action in 63 games and averaged 11.8 points, 7.0 assists and 6.1 rebounds in 32.1 minutes of action per Basketball-Reference. He shot 51.1% from the field but had a poor shooting clip from beyond the arc at 37.5%. But if one compares his shooting percentages from previous years, last season was a big improvement.
Hence, Van Gundy may have a point. The only way for Ball to develop his shooting stroke is to keep on shooting the ball and working on it during practice. Though his role is not to score, it remains that Ball needs to pick up his game if the 22-year-old guard wants his NBA career to flourish.
Ball will be one of several young players that Van Gundy will have at his disposal. For now, he is thankful for the trust of New Orleans management have in him and cannot wait to get down to work.
"It will be an honor to work with our players and to work for Mrs. Benson and David Griffin, Trajan Langdon, their staff and the great people of New Orleans. I can't wait to talk to our players and get the process started," Van Gundy said on social media.
