Veteran guard Tony Allen is set to enter his first season with the New Orleans Pelicans, which will entail an entirely new role.

The 35-year-old has acknowledged that his playing time with the Pelicans will fluctuate throughout the year, according to William Guillory of Nola.com.

“I'm going to be put in situations or lineups where some days I might start, some days I might play five minutes,” Allen said. “It's just being ready to do whatever it takes for the team to win ball games–whether its giving advice, passing out a towel or a Gatorade. Just trying to be a piece to the puzzle.”

In the last seven years with the Memphis Grizzlies, Allen had assumed the starting role despite averaging no greater than 27 minutes per game. He had fit into the Grizzlies' identity through their play on the defensive end of the floor.

Tony Allen will likely take a similar position off the bench for the Pelicans by providing a defensive presence that could be used in crucial situations late in games when a stop is needed. He could quickly become a valuable asset as still one of the league's best individual defenders.

The fact that he's willing to take a lesser role at this point of his career should help ease him into the fold of things in his first campaign with the Pelicans.