The New Orleans Pelicans' 123-120 loss to the Indiana Pacers Wednesday night raised a few post-game questions. One notable one was the DNP-Coach’s Decision for forward Karlo Matkovic.
After a strong preseason showing, the former second-round pick was notably absent from the lineup, even though the Pelicans could have used his skill set at different points in the game. This begs the question of what New Orleans truly has planned for the young big man, whose role is far from carved out.
What do Pelicans have in store for Karlo Matkovic after DNP?
Head coach Jamahl Mosley made it clear that this season New Orleans would be fluid with its center position, referring to it as a "center by committee" experiment. He told reporters on Media Day that everyone must be ready to contribute on any given night.
"We have diverse skill sets at the five, and we intend to weaponize that variety," Mosley said. "Certain nights will call for rim deterrence and second-chance points; others will require high-post playmaking and perimeter defense. Everyone has to stay ready."
On a night when the Pelicans shot only 33% from beyond the arc and were outscored 64-48 in the paint, not giving Matkovic a look seems odd. The 6-foot-11 forward had a career year last season, posting career highs in field goal percentage (60.4%) and three-point shooting (42.2%).
In preseason, on a road start against the Dallas Mavericks, Matkovic scored 11 points, including a team-high three triples, in the New Orleans 101-97 win. On a night when no Pelicans player made more than two three-pointers, the added threat of floor spacing could have opened the offense up for easier shots. This would have been especially helpful for star forward Zion Williamson, who shot just 41% from the field Wednesday night.
Last season, the duo of Matkovic and Williamson were effective when on the court together. According to Databallr, their +6.9 net rating was the highest for any two-person lineup paired with Williamson.
Granted, Yves Missi and Derik Queen were extremely effective on Wednesday night, but Mosley could have spared a few minutes with Matkovic on the court to give Williamson some breathing room in the paint. The Pelicans took only 30 three-point attempts in the loss, an area where they ranked near the bottom last season and need to improve this season to be effective.
Neither Missi nor Queen attempted a three-point shot Wednesday, meaning that, paired with Zion, the threat of the other big outside the paint was nonexistent.
Meanwhile, the Pacers bench bigs took 13 three-point attempts, which clearly loosened the Pelicans' defense and opened multiple driving lanes for the Indiana guards, contributing to the disparity in paint points. New Orleans next opponent, the Utah Jazz, similarly space the floor with their bigs. Utah's starting frontcourt attempted 12 three-pointers in their opening-season loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.
Mosely proved during the preseason that his lineups are subject to change, using four different starting lineups. That proved true against the Pacers, when guard Jeremiah Fears started in place of Herb Jones.
His rotations will no doubt also go through a metamorphosis as the season progresses, but Matkovi’s minutes need to remain steady, especially if he stays consistent from the outside. The Croatian-born center averaged 14 minutes last season, and depending on the matchups, that’s probably a solid number for him throughout the year. Other teams will trot out their stretch big lineups, and New Orleans must do the same to give their offense a different look nightly.
The Pelicans picked up his option this summer to keep him before he becomes an unrestricted free agent next year. With New Orleans doing little to upgrade its center position this summer, it must work with the pieces it has. That includes using Matkovic’s skill set nightly to give opposing defenses a different look. Ignoring that will only make it harder for Mosley and the Pelicans to get creative on offense.
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