New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry confirmed on the Dunc & Holder podcast that recently acquired point guard Rajon Rondo will start with Jrue Holiday in the backcourt. Transcribed by Andrew Joe Potter of The Score:
“After re-signing Jrue (Holiday), we also wanted to think about a guy that we could pair with Jrue that’s going to help Jrue, because obviously not only is Jrue a ball-handler, but we like his scoring and we like him playing off the ball sometimes,” Gentry explained in an interview on “Dunc & Holder.”
“We wanted to try to find a guy who could compliment that and there’s no better guy out there than Rondo,” Gentry continued. “Obviously he’s got championship pedigree, but he’s such a leader – he has the ability to find guys and make easy baskets for certain players – and we thought pairing him with Jrue would be the perfect combination.”
The Pelicans have been looking for another ball-handler to move Holiday off the ball for quite some time. In Rondo, they’ve found that guy. Due to age and a torn ACL, Rondo isn’t what he once was. He’s not as consistently aggressive on either end as he used to be. He is still one of the better passers in basketball, however, and he will transform the Pelicans’ offensive DNA with his ability to feed Cousins and Davis inside and run pick-and-roll.
