New Orleans Pelicans: 3 reasons to feel positive about the Pels start
By Willie Lutz
Once completely lost, the New Orleans Pelicans are (finally) starting to find some sort of identity on defense, perhaps thanks to Kenny Hustle.
Some New Orleans Pelicans might still have their doubts while some might read that statement and hear a choir of angels, but believe it or not, the team is starting to find some flow on defense.
Starting the year as the league’s worst scoring defense, the New Orleans Pelicans knew they had nowhere to go but up on the ball-stopping end of the floor. While they’re still working out the kinks and waiting for full health, there’s finally signs this defense might be kind of solid.
Hiring Jeff Bzdelik as the chief of the New Orleans Pelicans defense in the offseason, this team has looked more interested in playing a round of olé than actually putting bodies on defenders.
Trusting a sturdy force like Kenrich Williams, the Pelicans starting five has seen a boost on the defensive end over the last four games. Giving Williams the call to start in five straight contests, the Pelicans have given up a much more reasonable 113.6 points per game.
Miraculously, they’re no longer the league’s worst scoring defense, as they’re now allowing just 120 points per game after their solid defensive performance last night.
Allowing 124 points through their first eight games, it seems this team is either figuring out Bzdelik’s system or simply is just playing harder.
What was so frustrating about this team at the beginning of the year, primarily, was not being able to rely on Jrue Holiday to lock-down both ends of the floor.
Seemingly looking back to his All-NBA Defensive Team level, Jrue is back to looking like a ball-stoping shark for Alvin Gentry and the Pelicans.
Some wondered if this New Orleans Pelicans defense would ever get right on defense.
Before the season, the roster dripped with defensive potential, but through the preseason and early season slate, the team looked totally lost on that end of the floor.
Both solid defenders during their time with the Los Angeles Lakers, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball both need to show more on that end of the floor. That’s something that could simply come once both have more time to mesh with Bzdelik and Gentry, but it would certainly help the team.
New Orleans still has work to do on this end of the floor, but it certainly doesn’t seem like the lost cause it was to start the year. After all, it would be hard to get a whole lot worse.