To be successful, the Pelicans need to stick to their strengths

The Pelicans are one of a few teams that have multiple identities. They want to play uptempo while simultaneously slow the game down. There’s an argument that if you have two identities you have none. However, in today’s game, the ability to be flexible is extremely essential. Despite a possible identity crisis, the Pels have shown an apparent strength of style. The injury to Rajon Rondo has created its hurdles, but they’ve shown in his absence they’re still more than capable. Jameer Nelson should help fill his void for a team that still hasn’t yet put a full game of basketball together. To do that they’ll need to continue

New Orleans may not have a go-to identity just yet, but they do know what gives them the most success. That’s ball movement and off-ball motion, normally initiated by their big men. When they play that style they’re difficult to beat. When they don’t, they’re predictable and tend to struggle at both ends. If you believe in patterns or tendencies, you can almost perfectly predict how New Orleans’ games will play out.

New Orleans will get off to a hot start showing what they look like at best. Ball sharing will be crisp, defensive rotations and communication will be fluent. They’ll hit a cold stretch at some point where a few shots don’t fall, then turn to bad attempts, decisions, and iso “hero ball”. The defense will start to breakdown consequently with poor communication, and the opposing team will be right back in the game.

Against a good team, they’ll eventually be facing a deficit and officially playing catch-up for the rest of the game. Against a bad team, they are likely to tread water after blowing a lead, followed by a strong finish. That’s a hard life to live for 82 games.

There are a few factors that play into New Orleans’ inconsistency. Mainly it’s their inability to stick to their agenda on both sides and their tendency to play to the pace of their opposition. More so on the offensive side, once the Pelicans secure a lead they eventually seem to slow down their passing and aim to continue to outshoot their opponents.

Unless you’re Golden State or Houston, that’s a tough task to repeat consistently. When you have the two best big men in basketball it’s almost unacceptable. It’s the equivalent of a team gaining a sizable lead in football with an elite running game, continuing to pass the ball. Sure, that may work if you’re Tom Brady and the Patriots, but conventional wisdom says to stick with the ground game.

We know DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis aren’t your traditional bigs. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t play like one for stretches when trying to put a game away. That points to the fact that the Pelicans can make runs, but once a team makes their own, New Orleans doesn’t have an easy time answering. Even if they don’t play more of a half-court style, they need to at least continue swinging and sharing the basketball.

One example: Against Golden State, the Pelicans were up by as many as 15 in the second. For most of the quarter, they were able to keep the Warriors down by 12 to 14 points.

For most teams that’s a sizable advantage. For Golden State? Well, that’s like a trip to the layup line (or in their case the 3-point line). The key would have been to slow the game down and keep the pace in a manner the Pelicans could dictate. Unfortunately, while the Pels were winning, they were still playing the Warriors uptempo, long range style. It was only a matter of time before the Warriors made some of the shots they missed early on in the ballgame.

As the Warriors got hot, New Orleans tried to battle momentum and fight fire with fire. That’s a battle that is usually undefeated, especially against the Dubs. They also played a style that even when up by double digits, wasn’t sustainable.

In what was a crucial second quarter the Pels attempted 22 shots, nine involved layup attempts. Knowing the firepower of Golden State should have meant more attempts closer to the basket. That’s no disrespect to the Warriors’ defense, but taking advantage of a team when they’re not in rhythm is a process, one that the good teams are able to do. The good teams also find a way to force whatever tempo they want to play on their opponent.

That means that fewer attempts like this

make action GIFs like this at MakeaGif

And more possessions like this

make action GIFs like this at MakeaGif

New Orleans ranks number one in the NBA in first quarter scoring. That shows that NOLA has zero issues with getting off to a good start. They come out energized and ready to play every night. The issue relies on the rest of the game, where the Pelicans rank no higher than 22nd for quarters 2-4.

Some may question focus or intensity, but New Orleans normally brings it. There aren’t consistent lazy habits as of yet. They sometimes can also appear gassed, but the overall drop off in play points towards setup and execution. That should change when Rondo returns, as well as with Jameer Nelson playing an important role currently, helping keep a calm team demeanor when opposing teams make a run. The Pelicans needed a floor general, no matter how fun “Point Boogie” can be.

Next: Jameer Nelson: A Perfect Fit For NOLA

Expect New Orleans to continue to push their desired tempo as the season advances. In addition expect fewer slumps, and the inability to stay composed when in them. There are many aspects to a game of basketball, but sometimes simply sticking to a game plan makes the biggest difference. If New Orleans can stick to their strengths they’ll be quite the dangerous team.

We know the Pelicans can start well, it’s now time to maintain and finish.