The New Orleans Pelicans smothered the Suns on defense, once again flashing signs of promise on that end of the floor after a poor start in 2021.
The New Orleans Pelicans arguably had their most complete performance of the season in Wednesday’s 101-123 win over the Phoenix Suns, setting the tone on defense before delivering on offense.
The Pelicans started the season under new head coach Stan Van Gundy as one of the best defensive teams in the association but fizzled out after a few weeks.
As New Orleans’ defense sputtered, it seemed like the Pelicans were reverting to their old habits of the previous season: a lack of effort, little discipline, turnovers, and no accountability.
Many wondered why Van Gundy—a defensive coach by trade who had partly been brought in to mend the Pelicans’ troubles on that end of the floor—was not living up to his potential, especially compared to what a likeminded coach in Tom Thibodeau was doing for the New York Knicks.
If Van Gundy couldn’t get through to the Pelicans’ players, who could?
The win over the Suns is just one game, but defeating one of the top teams in the Western Conference primarily because of a thorough defensive performance could be an inflection point in the Pelicans’ season.
Here is how they did it and how it can be sustained.