The New Orleans Pelicans will Ride 2nd Chance Points in Orlando
The New Orleans Pelicans are hoping for a 2nd chance in Orlando, which is something they’ve been taking advantage of all season.
If there is one thing the New Orleans Pelicans know about, it’s second chances.
The Pelicans got a second chance at a superstar when Anthony Davis left and was immediately replaced by another number one pick in Zion Williamson.
The Pelicans started the season 6-22, but the return of Derrick Favors, and later Zion, would give them a second chance to make the playoffs.
They also get plenty of second chances during the games.
The New Orleans Pelicans are second in the NBA in second chance points, a skill that could end up being their bread and butter.
The Pels average 14.4 second chance points per game, a number that has increased since the return of Zion Williamson, who is one of the best offensive rebounders in the game already.
Zion’s double jump is nearly unstoppable, as he simply gets off the floor faster and higher than everyone else to collect his own miss and slam it home, as you see here:
But Zion is not the only one.
The New Orleans Pelicans have the 4th highest offensive rebounding percentage in the league, grabbing 28.8 percent of their offensive rebound chances.
They and the Los Angeles Clippers will be the best two offensive rebounding teams in Orlando and the Pelicans hope to take advantage of this skill.
It will be important, as the young Pelicans will be trying to shake off four months of rust and may not come out of the gate red-hot from 3-point range.
If the Pels are not hitting their shots, they will need to pound the offensive glass and punish teams for trying to get out on the break.
The focus will always be on Zion when he’s in the post, so the Pels will have to crash from the weak side to look for easy put backs off his misses.
Great offensive rebounding can offset any shooting woes the Pelicans might endure and we can expect it to be a focal point of their game plan.