These Two Must Play Better for the New Orleans Pelicans Bench

There are two players on the New Orleans Pelicans’ bench who must improve if the Pelicans want to have a chance to catch Memphis for the final playoff spot.

The New Orleans Pelicans are in an unlikely position. After starting the season 6-22, they find themselves just four games out of the last playoff spot. Players like Jrue Holiday, Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball are playing some of their best basketball of the season.

With 18 games to go and two matchups with the Grizzlies looming in March, the New Orleans Pelicans still have a chance to make the playoffs, but there is one thing that can stop them: the bench.

After being a strength for most of the season, the New Orleans Pelicans’ bench has collectively gone cold in the past seven games.

No two players exemplify this more than Nicolo Melli and Josh Hart, two guys who have been the backbone of the second unit for most of the season.

Starting with the February 25th game against the Lakers, the bench unit has gone cold, scoring a combined 22 points or fewer in five of the seven games.

This starts with Melli and Hart, whose ice-cold 3-point shooting has the New Orleans Pelicans wondering how they are going to get points off their bench.

They are still third in 3-point percentage overall, but the bench couldn’t have picked a worse time to stop making shots.

Nicolo Melli

Melli went off against the Golden State Warriors, hitting 6 of 7 from behind the arc and solidifying himself as one of the New Orleans Pelicans’ best seven players.

It looked like Melli could choose his spots, finding himself wide-open as teams packed the paint in an effort to stop Zion. Things were going well for Melli and his future as a stretch-four for the Pelicans was looking bright.

Then Melli forgot how to shoot.

Since that game, Melli has shot a combined 7 of 34 from 3-point range for a paltry 20.5 percent.

This. Is. Not. Good.

The New Orleans Pelicans had come to rely on Melli to get the bench unit going offensively and lately he’s left them stalled. He did hit an amazing game-tying 3-pointer against Dallas whose difficulty was off the charts.

Unfortunately, that’s about the only thing Melli has made lately.

It’s been so bad that Melli’s 3-point percentage has dipped from nearly 40 percent to 36.1 in just seven games.

The New Orleans Pelicans need Melli to get going for the stretch run if they want to have a chance to catch the Grizzlies.

Josh Hart

No player is as important to the New Orleans Pelicans’ bench as Hart. His hustle, rebounding, versatility on defense and timely 3-point shooting are often a catalyst for the Pelicans if they fall behind or a way to increase leads when they are ahead.

Hart is undeniably one of the emotional leaders of this team as he showed on his birthday, when he notched 19 points and 12 boards and nailed a few daggers.

Hart was his normal aggressive self in his birthday game against the Heat.

It’s too bad it can’t be his birthday every night, as Hart went right back to his cold streak the next game, going 0 for 6 from 3-point range for one point.

Hart is just 7 of 35 from long-range in the last seven games for a pedestrian 20 percent. Combined he and Melli are 14 of 69 from behind the arc in the last seven.

The lack of bench production since J.J. Redick was injured  has put additional stress on Williamson and Ingram, who have been feeling the pressure.

Though Hart and Melli are not starters, they are nearly as important to the success of the New Orleans Pelicans as almost anyone in the starting five.

If they don’t re-discover their touch from the 3-point arc it is going to be a long summer of what-ifs for the New Orleans Pelicans.