New Orleans Pelicans will be exciting but must be competitive too, says Josh Hart
Friday 27 September 2019 10:32, UK
Josh Hart is certain the New Orleans Pelicans will be exciting in the 2019-20 season, but he knows his new team, led by No 1 Draft pick Zion Williamson, must be competitive too.
The 6ft 5in guard-forward was traded to the Pelicans - along with Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram - in the blockbuster deal that sent Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Now part of a revamped Pelicans roster that also features veterans Jrue Holiday, JJ Redick and Derrick Favors, European star Nicolo Melli and Draft picks Jaxson Hayes and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Hart has high hopes for the season ahead.
In a Q&A, Hart outlined his hopes for the 2019-20 season, offered his first impressions of his new team-mates and talked about the Premier League and his love of Chelsea.
What are you looking forward to this season in New Orleans?
Hart: I'm looking forward to the Beignets [a fried dough breakfast treat]! No, I'm just kidding. It's going to be a fun season, 'AG' [coach Alvin Gentry] has us playing up and down, playing at a very fast pace and we have some of the exciting guys, great high character guys that David Griffin put together and it's going to be exciting.
I think the biggest thing is we want to be exciting but we want to be competitive - I think that's the biggest thing for us. Our goal is to make the playoffs but, at the end of the day, we want to be competitive. We want to continue to grow day-by-day, game-by-game and if we do that and keep doing that for this year and the next year I think we're going to be a power in the Western Conference. But we've got to focus on taking it game-by-game.
I don't know too much about New Orleans as a city, but I've been trying to learn a little bit more. I've got the Beignets down. Gumbo, I've got that down. New Orleans has its haunted places but I'm going to try a little more about that. I'm fully embracing the city and happy to be there.
The one thing I've learned about New Orleans as a city is that they're a very welcoming and very passionate fanbase. So the thing we want to do is be competitive, we want to win games and we want to be exciting for the fans.
What are you expecting from Zion Williamson?
Hart: Fortunately, we were able to get the No 1 pick in the Draft and we were able to pick this guy from Duke. We're excited to have him, he has so much potential. He is such a humble guy - I think the best characteristic he can have right now is being humble and not being big-headed. He can continue to grow and grow and grow.
So we're excited with him but we know we're not putting pressure on him right now, we want him to grow at his pace and not try to be something that he's not. But he is someone who is humble, someone who wants to get better and wants to learn. I think that eagerness and that ability to learn on the fly is going to help him a lot in this league and hopefully helps us in New Orleans for a long time.
What do you find most impressive about Zion's game?
Hart: His explosiveness is what is most impressive. Someone whose mass is that big but still has that ability to explode. His strength is just crazy and once he is really fully ready to use that and use the huge shoulders that he has, he's going to be a force to be reckoned with. That's something that will definitely help him excel.
What do you like about Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram's games?
Hart: Obviously I got traded with Lonzo and 'BI'. The thing I love about Lonzo is his ability to play-make, his selflessness, his basketball IQ - he wants to get everyone involved.
I think he can score better than what people think. But as a point guard you do love that ability to make your team-mates better, I think that's huge.
There's not enough you can say about 'BI'. Someone who is going to fit in very well with AG's scheme, someone who can put the ball in the basket from anywhere on the court, someone who is a slasher but is also very unselfish. If shots aren't falling for him he is going to get everyone else involved.
How do you rate Nicolo Melli?
Hart: I haven't got the chance to play with him yet. I probably will when I get down there at the beginning of September. But it's someone who I've heard about and seen clips of him playing, he's going to fit very well into our system at New Orleans. He's someone who can play fast, who can stretch the court and be a knock-down shooter for us. When you can do those kinds of things you're always going to have a spot in the league.
He will definitely flourish in the system and style of play that we're going to play down in New Orleans so we're excited to have him. It will be good to play with him.
What do you make of rookies Jaxson Hayes and Nickeil Alexander-Walker?
The thing I love most about Jaxson and Nickeil is their ability to learn on the fly, I think that's the biggest thing. You saw that with how they played their Summer League.
'Jax' had an amazing Summer League [and showed he is someone who is] highly efficient, has a great feel for the game and the place where he should be on the court. He will benefit from being with guys like Jrue [Holiday] and Zo [Ball] who are able to pass the ball like no other backcourt can in the league. So that's very exciting, especially for him.
You saw Nickeil's playmaking ability in the Summer League. I think it was better than what we all thought [having seen] him at Virginia Tech, but he was able to come in and just dominate. I think he should have got [Summer League] MVP to be frank but his ability to play-make and to make other people around him better is definitely going to help him in this league.
How big of a Chelsea fan are you?
Hart: The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the word "soccer" is Chelsea. That's my favourite team. I'm a big Chelsea fan.
The last several years have been tough just because of the time difference. The games come on at like 4am or 5am [on the West Coast]. Don't get me wrong, I love my Blues but I love my sleep also - I need it to perform. But now I'm in New Orleans, the games will come on a little bit earlier.
Going to The Bridge and seeing them in a home match against Leicester City or away at Manchester United… just seeing the passion around them was amazing and it just fuelled my love for the team.
Josh Hart and the New Orleans Pelicans feature four times this season on Sky Sports as part of a record 48 weekend primetime games being broadcast in Europe.
