Is Small Ball really the way to go?
Over the last few seasons in the NBA, there has been a shift away from traditional positioned basketball and wanting big men, into quick, agile, guard-heavy lineups with an increased focus on 3 point shooting. Gone it seems are the traditional centre and power forward positions, as shown by teams like Houston and Golden State, but have the Pelicans shown us that small ball basketball is the best way to go in today's game?
Houston and New Orleans opened their seasons in Houston, and this game was a test for both teams. Can Houston perform at least up to the same standard as last season but without Luc Mbah a Moute and Trevor Ariza? Can they incorporate Carmelo into the lineup and will he be happy coming off the bench?
Will Chris Paul be able to play enough minutes, or will his body deteriorate? And for New Orleans, how will Julius Randle fit in with Mirotic and Davis? Is this Anthony Davis' MVP year? Is Elfrid Payton a suitable replacement for Rajon Rondo? Obviously, this is the first game of the season so we don't want to read too much into it, but one thing is for sure - if the Pelicans can play like this every night, they are a true playoff contender.
The Pelicans' huge (by huge I mean tall) starting line up with Davis (6'10"), Mirotic (6'10"), Holiday, Moore and Payton (all 6'4") must have been intimidating for the Rockets, plus you bring in Julius Randle (6'9") off the bench. Davis had 2 blocks by the first half, and the Pelicans led the Rockets at the end of each term.
Davis finished the night with 32 pts, 16 reb, 8 ass, 3 stl and 3 blks. Mirotic finished with 30 pts, 10 reb, and shot 6/8 from 3 (75%). Randle had 25 pts, 8 reb, and only played 23 minutes. The Rockets were no match for the Pelicans, and had no answers for the huge size difference.
The Pelicans proved that there is still room in the NBA for big men, and still an argument for big lineups against small lineups. It still remains to be seen how their lineups will fair against teams who have mastered small ball like Golden State, and also if the line up will continue to gel together. One thing is for sure, when Anthony Davis announced that he was the best player in the league, he has done a pretty good job of proving it.