Van Gundy stressing defense on first day of training camp good sign for Pelicans

So Zion Williamson is in good shape and he has no minutes restrictions.

So Nickeil Alexander-Walker is in good shape and hopes to get minutes.

So Brandon Ingram is talking about being a better two-way player.

So Stan Van Gundy cares about defense.

It was refreshing to hear all of these tidbits from the first day of training camp for the New Orleans Pelicans.

The issues for the New Orleans Pelicans at the end of last season were defense, toughness, ball security and consistent perimeter shooting.

The acquisition of Stephen Adams will certainly help the first two issues.

The presence of Eric Bledsoe and the hopeful maturity of Lonzo Ball will help the taking care of the ball issue.

As for perimeter shooting, that remains a bit of a concern.

Can Ball continue his definite improvement in his shooting?

Will Kira Lewis Jr. figure in the mix in both ball handling and shooting or will the organization be patient with him, due to the presence of so many guards?

Can Josh Hart become more consistent shooting the ball?

Van Gundy is a veteran coach with skins on the wall.

His presence commands attention.

As the new man in town, he has the keys to the kingdom and he can, will and is already demanding that the Pelicans work on their biggest deficiency, working to prevent opponents from scoring.

Too often, New Orleans was involved in shootouts last season, having to outscore opponents.

That is not a sustainable strategy, one which can catapult a team into championship contention.

Van Gundy must and is demanding better effort on the defensive end. Keep in mind that New Orleans, a poor defensive team a year ago, lost its best defender in Jrue Holiday.

The presence of a plethora of guards who can play will most certainly allow Van Gundy to play a lot of three guard lineups.

That is becoming more of a trend in the league as spacing becomes more important, shooting becomes more important and quickness is paramount to success.

Where does that leave Adams?

As the last line of defense, as a good post passer, as a player who can bang and take pressure off of Williamson on the low block and as a traditional big man who can score.

Despite the fact that he is entering his eighth season in the league, Adams is just 27.

He has averaged double figures in points scored in each of the last four seasons.

Adams has snared over nine rebounds per game in each of his last three seasons.

He averaged a career best 2.3 assists per game a year ago with Oklahoma City and blocked 1.1 shots per game.

Adams shot 59 percent from the field last season but he is just a 55.7 percent free throw shooter for his career.

Adams does not need to be a focal point of the offense. He averaged just 7.6 shots per game last season.

Bledsoe averaged 14.9 points per game last season but that was the lowest total since the 2012-13 season.

Bledsoe shot 34 percent from 3-point range, averaging 5.4 assists per game.

While he is not the scorer he was when he averaged over 20 points per game in consecutive seasons from 2015-17, Bledsoe is still a solid, effective player, despite a disappointing ending in the playoffs with Milwaukee last season.

There is enthusiasm surrounding the 2020-21 New Orleans Pelicans and there should be.

Of course, there is enthusiasm in many training camps, on many fronts. No one has played a game yet.

Williamson did not to play a game last season until Jan. 22. He played in just 24 of his team’s 72 games.

Ingram has a long-term contract. Adams is happy to be here. Bledsoe should help. We will see if he wants to be here soon.

Lewis is a very fast, quick guard and a player who becomes a hedge and insurance policy, at the very least, if Ball departs after this season or in the near future.

With a new coach, a new approach, we can broach the topics of both a winning season and possible playoff appearance if this team plays to its ability, comes together, buys into Van Gundy and defends better.