These two duos had the highest and lowest net rating changes when they were on the court for the New Orleans Pelicans last season.
The New Orleans Pelicans are pretty much running back the same roster for next season, which means that looking at what they did last year holds even more value than normal.
The only difference, really, is going to be the players being older and a new coaching staff moving them around. There is a lot of talent on this roster, but the coaching staff is going to need to find the right combination of that talent. That is something that has haunted this team for years.
One important factor will be seeing how players mesh with their teammates. Databallr allows a look at the different two-man combinations from last season and how they performed using the team's net rating change when the two are on the court together (cutting out garbage-time minutes).
Here are the best and worst two-player duos from last year:
Best - Saddiq Bey/Herb Jones - +2.6 Net Rating
Some might be shocked because neither of these players are "stars," but no one who watched the team last year would be surprised. These are two of the most complimentary to winning players in the league. The problem is that they were the team's best players on a lot of nights, but a playoff contending team would have them has third/fourth/fifth options on most nights.
Bey contributes to winning by being one of the safest players in the league. He was ultra-efficient with the ball in his hands and turned the ball over at one of the lowest rates in the NBA. When the ball went to Bey, good things usually happened for the Pelicans.
Jones is one of the best defenders in the league, he has a reputation for a reason. The offense isn't as reliable, but it doesn't matter. He creates turnovers, which creates transition offense, which is valuable at the least.
Worst - Jeremiah Fears/Derik Queen - -8.3 Net Rating
Not too surprising to see this now, but New Orleans can't see this continue to be the worst duo. These are the heirs apparent in the city. They are young and developing, which is why it's not worth panicking over right now. Both were among the worst (+/-) rookies in the league because of their defense. On offense, they were exciting.
Fears is a smaller guard who forced turnovers, but was hunted by any guard with momentum, because of his strength. The finesse that Queen plays with helped him on offense and did help him force some steals, but he was a step slow and not strong enough for some matchups. Both players have been working hard to address this in the offseason, adjusting after getting their "welcome to the league" moments.
