Perhaps it’s no coincidence that among the three veteran players New Orleans has
signed in free agency this summer, they’ve each won an NBA or NCAA championship.
On Thursday, the Pelicans officially added Ian Clark to a group that already
included Rajon Rondo (2008 Boston Celtics) and Darius Miller (2012 Kentucky
Wildcats, a team that also featured Anthony Davis).
Clark, 26, was a rotation player for title-winning Golden State in 2016-17,
averaging 14.8 minutes per game and appearing in 93 of the Warriors’ 99 total
games (regular season plus playoffs). In addition to the ring he won last season
while backing up the “Splash Brothers,” the combo guard brings a track record of
potent perimeter shooting. The 6-foot-3, 175-pound Clark is coming off a
career-best campaign from an accuracy standpoint, connecting on 48.7 percent
from the field and 37.4 percent on three-point attempts. Via ESPN’s stats, that
field-goal percentage ranked second among all NBA shooting guards (minimum 50
games). Among point guards, only Golden State teammate Shaun Livingston had a
better field-goal percentage last season, at 54.7.
“Playing the role he had with Golden State, where he came in and stretched the
floor and knocked down shots, was something that really intrigued us,” Pelicans
Director of Player Personnel David Booth said of Clark. “When you’ve got guys
like Jrue Holiday, Anthony, DeMarcus (Cousins) and Rajon, we needed
floor-spacers. Ian’s ability to make shots is something that was really needed
for roster balance. We thought he’d be a good fit with his shooting, especially
when he’s on the floor with AD and DeMarcus. He’s a guy the defense has to
respect beyond the arc.”
New Orleans finished 19th in three-point percentage (35.0) and 14th in makes per
game (9.4) in ’16-17, but only had Cousins in uniform for 17 games following a
February trade. The Pelicans hope to improve in both categories in 2017-18, with
opposing defenses forced to devote significant attention to the All-Star big-man
pairing of Davis and Cousins.
“We probably have the best four and the best five in the NBA,” Booth said of
NOLA’s elite duo at the power forward and center positions, “but to utilize them
as much as you would want, you have to make the defense stay honest, so they’re
not doubling and sinking in on (Davis and Cousins). You don’t want a weak link
on the floor, where it makes it tough on those two guys to always see a help
defender. With Ian on the floor, that defender’s going to have to play him
honestly. If not, he’s going to make him pay by knocking down shots.”
On a New Orleans roster that doesn’t have much postseason experience, Rondo (96)
and Clark (32) add a combined 128 career playoff games. Rondo has appeared in 13
NBA Finals games, while Clark’s eight Finals appearances have all come in the
past two years. That’s a round the New Orleans franchise has never reached; only
three other current Pelicans have even been to the conference finals (Omer Asik
in 2011 with Chicago, E’Twaun Moore in 2012 with Boston, Quincy Pondexter in
2013 with Memphis).
“Ian Clark is another guy with championship pedigree,” Pelicans Coach Alvin
Gentry said Thursday, in a conference call from South Africa. “He was a rotation
guy on a championship team, and had some really big games. If you go back and
look at a couple games he had against San Antonio (in the Western Conference
finals), he had really big games. Obviously he’s not afraid of the moment. So
just to have him, it adds depth to our team, and that’s one of the things we’ve
struggled with in the past.”
“All the information I’ve gotten back is he’s a great teammate, works hard, very
coachable, puts the team first and wants to win,” Booth said. “Character-wise,
he’s an A-plus. He wouldn’t have been on Golden State’s roster if he wasn’t.
We’re excited to have him, because he’s won and knows what it takes to get where
we want to go.”
With Golden State, Clark often joined point guard Livingston in the second-unit
backcourt, allowing Clark to play off the ball (he shot 61/163 on treys in
’16-17). In New Orleans, it’s possible he’ll play both guard positions, part of
a backcourt that has gotten much deeper recently with the acquisitions of Rondo
and Clark. The Pelicans have numerous options and versatility based on a handful
of veterans with experience at each spot.
“He’s a combo guard who can play either position,” Booth said. “That’s good,
because when we have Jrue or Rajon out there, or even E’Twaun (Moore), we have
three or four guards who can play on or off the ball. That versatility is a
great help. It gives you more options and different lineups to be played.”
Player: Omer Asik
Player: Ian Clark
Player: DeMarcus Cousins
Player: Anthony Davis
Player: Jrue Holiday
Player: Darius Miller
Player: E’Twaun Moore
Player: Quincy Pondexter
Player: Rajon Rondo
Media Content:
http://www.nba.com/pelicans/news/ian-clark-brings-perimeter-shooting-big-game-exp
erience-pelicans
Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, New Orleans Pelicans, Omer Asik, Ian Clark,
DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, Darius Miller, E’Twaun Moore,
Quincy Pondexter, Rajon Rondo, Alvin Gentry, New Orleans Pelicans
Media Thumbnail:
http://i.cdn.turner.com/drp/nba/pelicans/sites/default/files/ian-clark-finals-vs-
cavs.jpg
Taxonomy: david booth, NBA, pelicans
Story Link:
http://www.nba.com/pelicans/news/ian-clark-brings-perimeter-shooting-big-game-exp
erience-pelicans
