The New Orleans Pelicans and Detroit Pistons are very different teams.
Detroit is in the beginning of a rebuild and trying to lose, while the Pelicans fancied themselves legit playoff contenders coming into the season.
The New Orleans Pelicans have failed to put it all together consistently while Detroit tanks away despite strong play from Jerami Grant, two rookies and a slew of role players.
The Pelicans have considerably more talent than Detroit but have only managed four more victories, largely because their bench has been one of the worst in the NBA.
Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram have carried the Pelicans but the team as a whole has been up and down, looking like title contenders one quarter and a lottery team the next.
The Pistons, on the other hand, have played spirited basketball all season without the extreme ups and downs. They are one of the best “bad” teams in the NBA and are losing competitively while getting their rookies plenty of run.
The Pels may have more talent but there is still plenty they could learn from the Detroit Pistons.
New Orleans Pelicans: The Detroit Pistons compete every game
The New Orleans Pelicans are a frustrating team to watch because they have all of the talent in the world but often lack consistent effort, especially on the defensive end.
The Detroit Pistons are just the opposite, as they lack overall talent but compete in every minute of every game.
The Pistons may not win many of them, but they rarely get blown out, and have either beaten or nearly beaten all of the contending teams they’ve played this season.
All seven of their wins came against teams who are currently in the playoffs.
It’s usually feast or famine for the New Orleans Pelicans, as they will blow out a team like Houston one game, then get smoked by the Bulls and Mavericks in the next two.
The Pelicans often lack effort and focus, especially on defense. This comes with being a young team but they are finding out the hard way that you have to bring it every night in the NBA or you will get blown out.
The Detroit Pistons are bad but they play a lot harder than the Pelicans, which is something New Orleans needs to improve.
New Orleans Pelicans: Smart role players help
One of the reasons Detroit has managed to stay in a lot of games even though they aren’t that talented is that they have smart role players.
Guys like Mason Plumlee, Delon Wright, Wayne Ellington and even rookie Isaiah Stewart all know their roles and play them well.
Their stats aren’t going to jump off the page, but they don’t make a ton of mistakes, know what they’re supposed to be doing and generally do their job without taking anything off the table.
As of late, Willy Hernangomez has been such a player for the New Orleans Pelicans, but other than him the Pels’ bench is full of guys with no role.
What would you say Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s role is on this team? Jaxson Hayes? Nicolo Melli? J.J Redick? It seems to change from game to game or they have none at all.
The Pelicans lack the types of smart role players who do 1-2 things very well without taking too much away, something they need to remedy before the trade deadline or in the next offseason.
I’d rather have a guy with lower ceiling talent who knows his role and how to accomplish it than a guy like NAW who thinks he is an All-NBA talent and doesn’t do any one thing well.
The Pels have the high-ceiling talent, now they need the role players to complement it.
New Orleans Pelicans: Talent isn’t everything
Talent usually wins out in the NBA, which is why the Detroit Pistons are near the bottom of the league even though they have good chemistry and smart role players.
Ultimately, I’d rather have the talent, as you can teach and coach the other things, but you can’t teach what Zion Williamson does.
However, chemistry does matter.
The Detroit Pistons aren’t half as talented as the Pelicans but their pieces fit much better, and like I said in the previous slide, everyone knows their role.
The Pels’ roster looks more like it was put together by someone on NBA2K, as they have guys that might look good on paper but don’t really fit.
Even if Jaxson Hayes wasn’t terrible, how exactly does a center who can’t shoot, set screens or defend fit with Zion Williamson?
Why did the Pelicans add more guards to a roster that already had too many?
Where is the elite defensive player who can offset some of Brandon Ingram’s struggles on that end?
The Pels have two guys who can dominate the post but no shooters around them.
The talent level is there but the fit isn’t and the Pels are the primary example of the talented team without any chemistry, which is why they are having troubles putting together consistent wins.
The Detroit Pistons would love to switch rosters with the New Orleans Pelicans, as the Pels have the kind of high-end young talent every team wants, but I wish we could put the hearts and brains of the Pistons into some of the Pels.