After a rocky start to the season, Lonzo Ball and Jrue Holiday have begun to hit a stride together on the court. The duo’s play together has been a key in the past six games, five of which the Pelicans have won.
After practice on Tuesday, head coach Alvin Gentry talked about the improving dynamic between Holiday and Ball.
“I think it’s really hard when you’re out there with Jrue (Holiday). You have a tendency to end up having him handle it or throw it to him. And Jrue doesn’t want that, really. Jrue wants to be one of the guys that’s coming off the screens and that’s where he’s best for us, also. I think he and Lonzo are beginning to realize that if we can play where Zo is the primary handler and Jrue is the secondary one where he’s coming off screens and making plays for us, it works out better.”
Over the last six games, Ball and Holiday have shared the court 92 minutes, an average of 15.3 minutes per night. When the two are on the court, the Pelicans have an offensive rating of 113.3 and a defensive rating of 94.3. That would rank as the ninth-best offense and by far the best defense over the last six games.
To the point of Gentry’s comment about Ball being the primary ballhandler over Holiday, over the last six games, Ball has a usage rate of 22.0% with Holiday on the court. It’s a modest increase from the 19.3% usage rate that Ball had prior to the past six games but a representation of Ball taking a larger role in the playmaking and offensive initiation.
Behind the strong play of the duo, the Pelicans are riding high, something that is certainly not a coincidence. It also spells good things for the future of New Orleans as they look to make a playoff push.
