The New Orleans Pelicans struggled on the road
By Nathan Heck
The New Orleans Pelicans were, predictably, more effective inside the Smoothie King Center than in an opposing arena, but the massive discrepancy between playing at home and away is troubling for the team’s future.
Believe it or not, the New Orleans Pelicans were not a bad team when they laced their shoes up in a locker room decked out in blue, red and gold. In fact, the Pelicans actually finished the season with a winning record at the Smoothie King Center (21-20) despite their continuous struggles with injuries and how to adapt to Alvin Gentry’s 21st century offense. On the road, though, the story was much, much worse.
Nine and 32. That was the Pelicans’ record away from the Crescent City this season, and it cemented them as the fourth worst road team in the entire Association. With only the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets posting a worse mark, it is safe to conclude the Pelicans have quite a lot of improving to do when they are forced to travel.
Some relief may come for the New Orleans Pelicans if Ryan Anderson is allowed to ride off into the sunset this offseason. The sharpshooting stretch-four is one of the deadliest scorers in the NBA at home, but his performances on the road have been an unmitigated disaster during his entire tenure in New Orleans. This season was no different (you can read a piece about his struggles from during the regular season here).
In an opponent’s arena, Ryan Anderson’s field goal percentage fell from 46.7 percent to 38.6 percent, and his three point percentage dropped from 40.4 percent to 32.1 percent, per basketball-reference. Wrapping up his decreased efficiency in one neat statistic, Ryan Anderson saw his effective field goal percentage (which weighs certain attempts differently) drop by nearly a full 10 percent.
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This drop in efficiency would be manageable if Anderson greatly limited the volume of his shots, but the big man attempted just 13 less shots in his 34 games played away than his 32 games played at home. The Pelicans simply could not afford for one of their primary scorers to be so woefully inefficient this season, and the team should look to other options in the offseason for more consistent output.
On the other hand, there are some positive statistics nestled in the numbers. Anthony Davis, the engine that drives the entire Pelicans organization, saw his scoring efficiency improve on the road, unlike his power forward brethren. Improving from an already elite true shooting percentage of 54.4 percent to a dominant 57.3 percent, Anthony Davis’s scoring was jaw-dropping away from New Orleans, and he averaged an absurd 25.7 points.
His scoring was not the only thing that improved, either. His rebounding rose from an impressive 9.5 boards per game in the Smoothie King Center to a scary 11.1 per game mark away from the comforts of home. As an added bonus, Davis’s defense benefitted, too. Falling from 106 to 103 points per 100 possessions, his defensive rating shows he was a slightly more effective defender on the road.
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As a whole, the Pelicans will necessarily need to improve in their ability to perform on the road to get on the path back to relevancy. The team was simply much less effective in all aspects of play when forced to travel for a game. Fortunately, the team’s superstar, Anthony Davis, did not struggle like the majority of his teammates, and it is reasonable to believe the team can improve around him. If the Pelicans do not make the necessary adjustments to improve on the road next season, the postseason is a lost cause.