Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans are ushering into a new era under Willie Green, and it looks like the team will be full of Stephen Currys in the 2021-22 season.
Apparently, the team has employed a 4-point line in its practice courts–a red semi-circle that extends to the sideline and a few feet away from the blue 3-point arc. While Coach Green noted that it's actually to emphasize spacing, he also mentioned that it's a way to incentivize the players and shooters. Simply put, the new Pelicans coach wants his players to be confident and have no fear from firing away from deep.
“The 4-point line is really for spacing,” Green said of the Pelicans' 4-point line, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “For us, we want to be spaced out. But also, we have guys who are capable of shooting from that distance. A combination of that spacing and that ability to shoot is really tough on the defense to guard you. They have to guard guys who can shoot and have to guard guys who can guard our penetration.”
Imagine Zion Williamson casually pulling off from Stephen Curry range after dunking all over his opponents? That's basically what Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to be!
It will definitely be a scary sight for the NBA, though fans shouldn't expect Zion or any of the Pelicans for that matter to just shoot whenever they want. If they are open, we'll probably see them pull up from deep from time to time, but doing it like how Curry does it–without regard for defenses–is too early to expect right now.
Then again, better spacing should also benefit Williamson, as it means he'll have more room to attack the basket and operate down low.
Of course, it remains to be seen how the Pelicans will execute, but it's definitely an exciting time for New Orleans.