The New Orleans Pelicans may have the best defensive backcourt in the NBA

The 2018/19 New Orleans Pelicans were plain abysmal defensively. However, that trend could flip with their new dynamic backcourt.

Lonzo Ball has his flaws, he’s not yet a polished product. The shot lacks consistency and the mechanics are questionable, to say the least. But what he lacks in that regard he more than makes up for in other aspects of the game—more specifically his defense. Joining a backcourt with the likes of Jrue Holiday, opposing guards are going to see the New Orleans Pelicans’ tandem in their nightmares.

Let’s start off with Holiday, who’s fresh off another campaign that saw him net an All-NBA Defensive team nod. He was named to the first team in 2017/18, and probably would’ve made it again this year it not for injury, so he had to “settle” for second-team honors.

Ask Damian Lillard, the man can defend. He has career averages of 1.6 steals per game and a steal percentage of 2.3—which is good for 20th amongst active players. But those statistics don’t tell the full story.

Holiday has been underrated for the majority of his career, but he got the recognition he deserved in last year’s playoffs after showcasing his value on both ends of the court against the Trailblazers in the first round. Zone in on the (2:10-2:17) mark, you see Holiday mirror Dame defensively, fight through a Jusuf Nurkic screen (who’s 7’0, 275 pounds) and still get the block on Lillard’s shot.

He was the main reason why Lillard averaged just 18.5 points on 36.1 percent shooting that series, a significant drop from his 26.9 points on 43.9 shooting during the regular season.

Holiday recorded 54 blocks this season, and 64 the year prior. For someone that plays the vast majority of his minutes as a shooting guard, that’s incredible. To put in perspective how impressive that truly is, let’s take a look at fellow All-Defensive team members Klay Thomspon, Eric Bledsoe, and Marcus Smart—whom all are guards.

Smart recorded 23, Bledsoe 28, and Thompson (who’s 3 inches taller than Jrue) recorded 47 this past season. Holiday missed 15 games and recorded 54. And it’s not just his ability to create steals or block shots, he does the little things so well too.

Fighting through traffic, bodying up opposing bigs in the block when he’s switched on them, playing passing lanes, keeping opposing guards in front of him and from their hot spots—he’s a disruptor of opposing team’s offenses.

Pelicans fans have been seeing Jrue lock up the oppositions best perimeter player for years now, so let’s talk about the new kid in town some more. As I mentioned before, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for Zo thus far in his career. He’s struggled with injuries and consistency in his offensive repertoire throughout his first two seasons in the NBA.

But, he’s only played two seasons in the NBA, his career shouldn’t be defined through just 99 games. I understand that the Pelicans were 22nd in the NBA in three-point makes last season and the team desperately needs shooters, so of course, fans look at his shot and worry.

But at absolute worst, Ball is an elite defender. He possesses great in-game instincts and is a force out in transition. Just like Holiday, Ball also has a career average of 1.6 steals, and he can get his fair share of blocked shots (averages 31 blocks per season).

It’s not just recording a high volume of steals and blocks, Ball is an excellent on-ball defender as well. He’s got the lateral quickness with a combination of quick hands to hang in with the more deceptive guards in the NBA.

He also has the additional privilege of standing in at 6’6, 190 pounds. Despite the height/weight ratio seeming off, Ball is actually pretty strong. Here you can see him hang in with Harrison Barnes, who’s 6’8, 225 pounds and prevent him from getting to his spots.

He hung in with a forward larger than him, here he maintains pace with one of the better perimeter weapons this generation has to offer. Notice how he doesn’t allow Harden to get an angle, and when he tries to create separation with his forearm, Ball bodies him with his chest and records the block.

Then, of course, there was this gem against Jamal Murray.

The Lakers weren’t exactly a great team defensively last year, and that was especially the case with Ball’s absence. The Pelicans were also below average, ranking 23rd in the NBA with a defensive rating of 111.9 in 2018/19, but that’s subject to change with the presence of Holiday and Ball.

Both players have excellent defensive timing, and both can be called upon by Alvin Gentry to guard multiple positions if needed (Ball in particular given his physical stature). Their steals/blocks will result in the Pels getting out in transition, where this team will really thrive given their athleticism.

There are still holes to fill, but one thing we do know is if this is the roster heading into Game 1, this backcourt is going to clamp up.