Are the Pelicans relying too heavily on the three-point shot?

The NBA is full of many elite shooters, individuals who have pretty much perfected the art of throwing a leather ball through an 18 inch-wide hoop from roughly 23 too 26 feet away. A very niche skill. But nonetheless, one that teams all around the league are buying in bulk.

The three-point shot has come a long way from the gimmick state it began its life as. Indeed even through its puberty during the late 80’s and 90’s not many would go near it. And much like with many teenagers, it seemed insane to rely upon it. But fast forward to the dawn of 2018 and the three-point shot has grown up into a vastly popular, fan-favorite offensive weapon, wreaking havoc all over the hardwood.

The New Orleans Pelicans have certainly hopped aboard the three-point wave and with surprising success, shooting 38.1% as a team so far this season.

However, as the Pelicans close out 2017, they are reminded that quantity is not everything.

In the Pelicans 18 wins this season, they are actually shooting fewer threes (28.7) than in their 18 losses (30.4). This theme continued throughout the Pelicans last two home games in which they lost to both the Mavericks and Knicks.

In these two disappointing losses, the Pelicans took a combined 57 three-point shots. Now if the Pelicans had been hitting at their season average this would have resulted in 65 points generated from beyond the arc. But sadly they didn’t. Not even close.

Instead, the Pelicans hit on a measly 24.5% of their three-pointers. Why? Well, some can argue that a regression to the mean may have been in play which is a fair argument. But I believe it may be more down to a shift in team identity, reflecting in their style of play.

Throughout the month of December, it appeared the Pelicans were becoming more and more of a perimeter centered team. But were they really? Sure they were hitting a lot of threes but how they were getting these threes is arguably just as important.

Initially, the Pelicans did a great job of running an inside-out focused style of offensive attack. Any team with two-star bigs such as Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins would be insane not to exploit their superior talent level in the interior.

Coming into Friday and Saturday’s matchups, that is what the Pelicans had been doing. Of course, Davis and Cousins would still operate on the perimeter much of the time. But nonetheless, they were still doing the vast majority of their damage in the paint.

This pressure on the defense and gravity that an attacking Davis and Cousins provide is what often led to the Pelicans getting so many open three-point looks. Players like E’Twaun Moore and Darius Miller did a great job capitalizing on these open shots.

But the last two games?

Well, it seemed like the Pels may have bought into their three-point ability a little too much. Of course, confidence is vital. But when the Pelicans start forcing their perimeter game, rather than letting it emerge organically as a by-product of having Davis and Cousins on the floor, then they end up settling. Taking these threes without even trying to get the ball inside first leads to less ball movement, less player movement, and this, in turn, takes the Pelicans offense out of its rhythm.

Next: Outsider’s Perspective: Questions with Knicks editor Maxwell Ogden

It is important to note that the Pelicans defense was clearly the more important issue in the two losses. But nonetheless, the team’s impatience to shoot threes certainly didn’t help. Let’s hope they can turn it around in the Pelicans upcoming game against the Utah Jazz on Thursday.