![]() While the Lakers game was an obvious example, we’ve seen the Pels react similarly in other games during this stretch. New Orleans, by contrast, has reached 15 3-pointers in a game only once since the start of the new year. There was no better example than Tuesday’s ugly loss to the Lakers, which included Los Angeles splashing a franchise-record 15 3-pointers in the first half on a lifeless Pels squad. More capable teams from the perimeter have run the Pelicans out of the gym on multiple occasions. ![]() Now, they don’t take 3s, and when they do, they rarely go in. But even then, they were still in the bottom five in the league in 3-point attempts, a constant gripe of head coach Willie Green. Again, it helps when a dominant force is out there demanding attention from the defense. The Pelicans were more efficient from the 3-point line when Williamson was healthy early in the season. No wonder everything on offense looks difficult for them. Spacing has been a constant issue for this team, even when its two best shooters - CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy - are on the floor together. 1, New Orleans is 28th in the league in both 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage. Being a great 3-point shooting team isn’t a requirement to win, but it makes life easier.Īnd the Pelicans are nowhere close to great. The most important skill in the modern NBA is the one the Pelicans lack the most. Let’s break down a few of the problems: Poor spacing Losing perhaps the most dominant paint scorer in the game certainly changes the dynamic drastically.īut there’s more to the story of this team’s shocking demise. He’s missed the last 32 games and is a week away from being re-evaluated for a possible return this season. ![]() The most significant change for New Orleans at the start of the year was obvious: the Pelicans lost Williamson to a right hamstring strain in a Jan. At 33-36, they sit in 12th place in the West, a half game out of the final Play-In position. Since then, the Pelicans are 26th in offensive rating, 14th in points in the paint and have been held under 100 points more times (six) than they’ve reached 120 (five). ![]()
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