Lonzo Ball has been at his best offensively throughout his prep, college and pro career when playing in a high-paced, up-tempo offense. Fortunately for him, his new coach in New Orleans, Alvin Gentry, is most known for that type of system.
The two could be a match made in basketball heaven next season and Ball is aware of how special the pairing could be. During his introductory press conference, he was asked about Gentry’s offense and style.
“I’m getting back to playing pretty much the style I’ve been playing my whole life. I’m very comfortable in a high, up-tempo offense that Coach Gentry has. It works best with my abilities.”
Gentry has coached some successful teams in his day playing in his system. In Phoenix, Gentry led the Suns to a Western Conference Finals appearance with Steve Nash as the point guard. Nash averaged 16.5 points and 11.0 assists per game in that system while Goran Dragic chipped in 7.9 points per game.
New Orleans has also made the playoffs under Gentry in 2017-18 using his system with Rajon Rondo excelling in the second half of the season. That is a more natural comparison for Ball and a clearer pathway to the Pelicans contending at a high level with Ball leading the way.
It’ll certainly be a fascinating aspect to watch as the Pelicans enter a new era with Ball leading the way.
