New Orleans Pelicans Break Team 3-Point Mark for 5th Straight Year

The NBA has evolved into a up-tempo, 3-point shooting league and the New Orleans Pelicans are at the forefront of this revolution.

The New Orleans Pelicans have one of the fastest offenses in the league and are symbolic of the broader changes that the league has undergone over the last decade.

Teams have gone away from traditional centers and post play in favor of pace-and-space ball movement, corner 3-pointers and aversion to the mid-range game.

When you watch footage from the late 1990’s and routinely see games played in the 85 point range, it makes sense that the NBA wanted to go a different direction.

The game is less physical, which has led to this offensive explosion, though some would argue that it also led to soft games and teams that have no real rivalries.

The New Orleans Pelicans are leading the way in the 3-point era, smashing their own team record for long-range shots in just 64 games this season.

This is the fifth year in a row the Pelicans have broken this team record according to Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com.

The New Orleans Pelicans broke this record behind arguably the deepest 3-point shooting team in the entire NBA. According to Eichenhofer:

"“When play was suspended March 11, the Pelicans were the league’s lone team with five players who’ve connected on at least 110 treys in ’19-20 for their squad (Dallas is the only other NBA team with five shooters who’ve drained 100-plus). ”"

With Lonzo Ball, J.J. Redick, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram and Jrue Holiday all capable of hitting 3-pointers at a high rate, the Pelicans can blow teams off the floor with their long-range shooting.

Even Zion has gotten in on the act.

The only problem with living by the 3-pointer is that you often die by it, which the Pelicans have discovered during their 28th ranked “clutch” time performance on offense.

But there is no sign that the Pelicans will stop launching them, especially with Zion necessitating even more shooters to spread the floor.

The New Orleans Pelicans are exciting and fast and will likely break this record again next season.