On July 17th while being interviewed on the Dunc and Holder Podcast, New Orleans Pelicans Head Coach Alvin Gentry spoke about his intentions to start both Rajon Rondo and Jrue Holiday. Though unorthodox, Gentry stuck to his word, starting both Holiday and Rondo for the first two games of the preseason. However, when Rondo went down with a sports hernia, Gentry needed to revert to starting a traditional backcourt. He plugged in a legitimate shooting guard, E’Twaun Moore.

Now at the end of October, Moore, along with backup guards Ian Clark and Jameer Nelson, are playing some very good basketball. With Rondo coming to the twilight of his 4-6 week injury timeline, the question must be asked: What will the Pelicans guard situation look like when Rondo comes back? And so it is time to look at Gentry’s options when his return occurs.

Start Rondo, Bench Holiday

This is the most improbable lineup option for Rondo’s return, and no one is really suggesting it. Jrue Holiday is the best guard on the Pelicans and putting a player who signed for 126 million dollars on the bench for a player who signed for 3.3 million dollars is just bad business.

Start Rondo, Bench Moore

This was Alvin Gentry’s intention coming into the season, but due to how good E’Twaun Moore has been playing, it is looking less and less likely.

Offensively, he has kicked up his shooting percentages pretty significantly. In eight games, Moore is shooting 51.4% from the field, and 42.9% from three, and has kept up a terrific 59.7% true shooting percentage. Are these percentages sustainable? No, probably not, but he is shooting in all of the right places.

According to NBA.com, only 4.2% of E’Twaun Moore’s field goal attempts are from the mid-range. Instead of settling for these low percentage shots, Moore is getting to the rim more than ever as well, taking 56.9% of his shots from there.

With his shooting, he is able to score very well off the ball. Perfect for a lineup that includes ball-dominant stars like DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, and Jrue Holiday.

Defensively, Moore is playing better than ever, as well. He is reducing opponents’ field goal percentages by 5.5% when he is defending them, and he has improved his previously atrocious defense on spot-up shooting, by defending spot-up shooters to .67 points per possession, putting him in the 87th percentile of the league. This is incredible progress from last year’s 13th percentile 1.17.

Moore is also playing very well with Jrue Holiday, with lineups including the two netting a +8.5 net-rating, according to NBAWowy.

Although Rondo was supposed to start for the Pelicans at the beginning of the season, if the decision comes down to Moore or Rondo, Moore should definitely keep his starting status.