The New Orleans Pelicans began training camp on Sunday.
Head coach Stan Van Gundy and forwards Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram discussed how the first day went for the team.
“It’s been more than two and a half years since I’ve run a practice. I’ll be honest I was a little nervous about it,” Van Gundy said. “I knew I had good people around me that wouldn’t let me screw it up too badly.”
Van Gundy mentioned the practice did not go to 5-on-5 work and it was all about defense.
“We did a lot of defensive work. In fact, that’s really all we did,” Van Gundy said.
The Pelicans had 17 players participate, while guard Josh Hart did some drills but not others. Willy Hernangomez and Will Magnay did not practice along with Naji Marshall, who will join the team on Monday.
Van Gundy said Williamson has “no limitations in practice” and he passed his conditioning test.
Williamson said it was “tough” going through rehab last season and being on a minutes restriction last season.
“When you’re finally able to step on the court three minutes goes by and you have to get subbed out, it was a lot,” Williamson said. “I tried to make the most of the situation.”
Williamson expressed his excitement about entering the 2020-21 season with no restrictions.
“I love to play basketball,” Williamson said. “There are no restrictions. Why wouldn’t I love that?”
Ingram said the practice was “very detailed from top to bottom.”
“It was really a mental day for us,” Ingram said. “Today was basically a teaching day for us. [Van Gundy] did a great job of teaching everything on the defensive end, our assignments from the guard position from the wing position from the big position in a way everybody understood it.”
Ingram is entering his fifth season in the NBA and his second with the New Orleans Pelicans. He talked about how the first day of practice is entering another season in the league.
“I think the first day is always fun,” Ingram said. “The good thing with me coming here, in my first and second year, I’ve been around good guys with good attitudes. I just look for more and more consistent things out of the guys and myself.”