New Orleans Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy added an important piece to his coaching staff in newly-hired assistant coach Bob Beyer. He has been around the league for quite a while and has worked with numerous basketball minds including a stint with Mark Jackson in Golden State, Billy Donovan in OKC and most recently, with Luke Walton in Sacramento.
However, Beyer's stint with the Detroit Pistons under Van Gundy back in 2014 to 2018 will potentially prove to be the most significant in the development of Zion Williamson, as they aim to emulate what they were able to previously accomplish with Andre Drummond, as per Fansided‘s Aaron Kellerstrass.
The former UConn product was a stellar rebounder but only has a limited offensive skillset. Van Gundy didn’t have many options, so he basically just ran pick-and-roll with Drummond and point guard Reggie Jackson, and for one season, it was successful.
With Beyer's help, Van Gundy was able to add more dimensions to Drummond's game which helped him contribute more to the Pistons offense back then. This included using him to initiate the offense at the top of the key with dribble handoffs and a bigger variety of pick-and-roll. They stopped using Drummond on the post given his limited moves and used him more as a passer, decoy and screener instead, which helped open up more opportunities for the Pistons’ offense.
The Pelicans also ran into the same dilemma during Williamson's rookie campaign. He was also used by former head coach Alvin Gentry primarily in the post where teams would opt to sag on the former Duke standout, forcing him to dribble into bigger defenders and often leading to blocks or offensive fouls.
Beyer will help develop Williamson's passing, dribble handoffs, pick-and-roll, and shooting which will help Van Gundy diversify the team's offensive schemes even more. They will also avoid being reliant on scoring during the fast break but also allow them to be dangerous in half-court sets. With Williamson's level of talent and brute strength, the possibilities are going to be endless for the Pelicans.
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