Atlanta Hawks: 3 keys to victory against the limping New Orleans Pelicans

Atlanta Hawks key to victory No. 3: Jonas Valanciunas’ ability to stretch the floor could cause problems

The Pelicans traded for big man Jonas Valanciunas from the Memphis Grizzlies, swapping out Steven Adams. Despite what some might have expected, Valanciunas is averaging 15.0 boards, nearly double what Adams put up in any of his seasons in the Bayou. It’s even more than Adams is currently averaging with the Memphis Grizzlies.

What they lost in physicality, they gained in perimeter shooting going from Adams, a non-shooter, to Valanciunas shooting 33.3 percent albeit on extremely limited volume.

Conventional wisdom would suggest that Hawks center Clint Capela would struggle that far away from the basket. But, per NBA.com, opponents are hitting just 21% of their triples against Atlanta’s big man.

Though, that number apparently jumps to 40 percent when he actively defends them.

Again, as with Valanciunas, the volume is limited. But Capela is athletic and moves laterally better than one might expect.

It won’t just be Capela either. Opponents have yet to knock down a three when defended by backup center Gorgui Dieng. The free-agent acquisition from this past offseason has quickly acclimated himself to the team and is even shooting career-highs from the floor (61.5%) and outside (75%).

Pelicans reserve big Jaxson Hayes is athletic and active. But the duo of Capela and Dieng still match up well with Capela bringing the physicality and Dieng drawing the third-year pro — who is having a bad start to the season — away from the rim.

That latter part could play a big role with Valanciunas as well, opening up the lane for Young’s patented floaters or lobs to Capela or John Collins.