New Orleans Pelicans: The Struggles of Jrue and J.J.

After a slow start to the season, many in the New Orleans Pelicans fanbase are panicking about the lack of results connected to the effort this young group has put forth. However, one could say the biggest reason for the Pelicans’ struggles so far this season has been due to the lack of production by their two veteran guards expected to help lead the flock. Jrue Holiday and J.J. Redick specifically have been shells of themselves through the first couple weeks of the season, and with Zion Williamson sidelined for weeks to come, their offensive efficiency and production will be key in helping the Pelicans remain in playoff contention.

The New Orleans Pelicans signed J.J. Redick this past summer for a wide range of reasons, most notably the veteran presence he can provide on and off the floor for a Pelicans team who is very young and learning the ins and outs of this league.

A couple of weeks into the young campaign, we have seen various examples of J.J. providing this “big brother” love to his teammates by being vocal in team huddles during timeouts, talking on the floor about strategy and positioning, as well as picking up teammates on the bench who may be struggling or making “rookie mistakes”.

As far as intangibles play into the signing, J.J. has followed through with what is expected of him and the media and fans in New Orleans have taken notice of this. There is however a factor to the signing that has not exactly played out according to plan for this Pelicans team – production.

Redick was signed to a two-year, $26.5 million dollar in July coming off of a career year with the Philadelphia 76ers in which the veteran guard out of Duke University posted a career-high 18.1 points per game. In his first year with the team, Redick averaged 17.1 points per game and was the key shooting threat for the Sixers throughout their playoff runs. He helped guide the franchise to the playoffs in both seasons and like the Pelicans, was considered a great mentor on and off of the court.

Since signing with the Pelicans, Redick’s production has taken a nosedive and his absence of production can be a key factor in the early struggles for the Pelicans. With the New Orleans Pelicans, Redick is averaging 10.3 points per game on just 38.5% from the field. While Redick’s three-point field goal percentage sits slightly above this mark at 39.5%, the Pelicans will need to lean on him for much more scoring in the early portion of the season, especially without star rookie Zion Williamson.

What is even more discouraging about Redick through the first stretch of this season is his free-throw numbers. J.J. Redick is a career 89% free-throw shooter and during his time with the Sixers averaged just above at 89.9% at the line. Redick is shooting just 77.8% from the line as of November 4th and is getting to the line at a lower clip than any other past season in his career.

Redick was also seeing approximately 13 field goal attempts per game as a member of the Sixers, while during his early tenure with the New Orleans Pelicans, he has averaged approximately 9 shots per game. Alvin Gentry will have to look to make some adjustments in order to incorporate Redick more into the offensive system and get him some looks off of screens set by big men such as Okafor or Jaxson Hayes.

Averaging 24 minutes per game, Redick has turned the ball over more per game than any other time in his career. This could be due to the fast pace, push and run offense established by Alvin Gentry so it may not be time to call J.J. a turnover machine quite yet however he will need to take better care of the basketball in order for the team to further their success as the season progresses. Redick also has the second-lowest PER on the team which will need to improve over the course of the season.

J.J. is used best coming off of high screens and when Zion returns this could open up looks for Redick as a lot of defensive attention commanded will be on the Duke rookie.

While Redick has struggled to find his mojo in the early going, a familiar face also finds himself in this article but not for the right reasons. Jrue Holiday has been anything but himself in the first couple weeks of the campaign and it has some New Orleans Pelicans fans scratching their heads looking for answers. Holiday has looked slow, confused and inefficient during the early days of this season and while a new-look roster could be the reason it should not be the excuse.

The New Orleans Pelicans really need their veterans to get hot

Holiday was expected to be the leader in scoring on this New Orleans team by many in the media as well as most of the fan base. Many envisioned a breakout All-Star type season for the long-time the New Orleans Pelicans guard however that has been anything but the case thus far.

Holiday is currently averaging 14 points per game on a career-low 36.2% shooting from the field and just 34.8% from three-point range. Holiday is averaging 6.8 assists per game with the Pelicans in his career, however this season is just averaging four assists per game out of the gate.

Holiday is also shooting just 37% from two-point range which is also a career-low compared to any other season he has played. While Redick’s PER is second-lowest on the team, Holiday’s does not get much better as the veteran point guard has a PER of 12.6 which is only higher than Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Redick and E’Twaun Moore.

If the Pelicans have any shot of making any sort of legitimate playoff run, Holiday will have to snap out of his shooting woes and become more aggressive at getting to the basket. Holiday averaged 21.2 points per game with the Pelicans last season and shot an amazing 53.9% from mid-range and the paint. Creating more space and having confidence in his jumper will also play a crucial role in Holiday finding his groove once again.

Holiday’s assist numbers have also taken a slight dip to begin the season which could have been anticipated due to the arrival of Lonzo Ball in the Anthony Davis trade during the offseason. While Lonzo has done an excellent job of creating for teammates, he has also taken away a lot of the usage that Holiday carried last season in terms of handling the ball and setting up the offense. It can also be argued that Lonzo’s game fits a run and gun system better than Jrue’s game does due to his athleticism and age.

Holiday remains a leader on and off the floor for the Pelicans and it can be expected that his assist numbers and field goal percentage will increase over the course of the season, as well as when Zion returns to the starting lineup. Many teams will be forced to double Zion in which case, Holiday will be more of an option to knock down open threes, get into the paint and dish as well as create in a more spread offense as opposed to what they are currently operating in.

As roles become further established and rotations are finalized we will begin to see the true identity of this young Pelicans team. Despite early struggles in terms of production and their record, there are also positives to take from the first handful of games we have watched so far. Both Holiday and Redick are very valuable in the success going forward for this team and the Pelicans will need both to snap out of their slumps as soon as possible in order to remain competitive in the powerful Western Conference.

While October can be exciting because of the NBA season commencing, it seems the Pelicans guards got the “Spooky” memo and their statistics and efficiency reflect this early. But don’t panic just yet, Pelicans fans. This team has these veterans for a reason and while it may seem tough now, we have also seen these two players get extremely hot over the course of their careers as well. Time will tell if this veteran duo can pick up their production, but nonetheless, they do have a beast in waiting who may be able to help solve problems sooner than we may think – Zion Williamson.