New Orleans Pelicans: 3 methods Gentry can use to save slow start
By Willie Lutz
Not off to the start the team had hoped, the winless New Orleans Pelicans need to change things up to avoid falling into an early-season hole.
Riding into the season with a perfect 5-0 record in the preseason, it was hard to imagine the new-look New Orleans Pelicans starting the season off 0-3, despite playing fairly robust competition.
While they’re not getting blown out by any means, averaging a 6-point margin of loss and without a double-digit loss on the books, they’re, at the end of the day, a very competitive team in a crowded Western Conference.
To open the season on the road against the defending champion Toronto Raptors on their ring night was a tall task, which resulted in a gutty, 122-130 overtime loss. The Dallas Mavericks have a talented core and the Pels took a 116-123 loss from that bunch. Then, the team kept it close with Houston Rockets stars, James Harden and Russell Westbrook, but for a 123-126 loss.
When the Golden State Warriors ride into the Smoothie King Center on Monday night, it’ll be the battle of two new-look teams trying to pick up their first win of the 2019-2020 NBA Season. The Warriors have won the last five Western Conference crowns, so being winless early in the season is still something new for their organization.
Interestingly, both units are learning to live new lives after losing top-five players in the offseason. Kevin Durant headed to the Brooklyn Nets, while Anthony Davis was swapped to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The biggest problems with the New Orleans Pelicans derive from their lack of on-court chemistry, which is a kind of problem that can only be solved with time, focus, and experimentation.
Knowing Zion Williamson won’t be back until late November on the most optimistic timelines, Head Coach Alvin Gentry has to find a way to get his team functioning at a higher level than they’ve been able to reach during this winless start.
Scoring the ball with some ease, the Pelicans are averaging the sixth-most points in the league to start the season, pouring in 120.3 points per night to start the year.
However, the team has the 28th-ranked defensive rating in the league at 114.8 points given up per 100 possesions. They’ve also allowed the most second-chance points in the league, allowing 16.7 points per game to come on extra looks.
As the New Orleans Pelicans quest through the next 79 games of the season, they’ll have to solidify their defense without too much consequence on the offensive end. Gentry still has a lot of learning to do about this deep roster.
However, it seems like a few key lineup moves could pivot the team’s bad luck. Gentry needs to take a look at the first week of action and realize which guys are doing which things to make the team better as a whole.