After winning four in a row the New Orleans Pelicans have now dropped three straight behind lackluster defense and little effort or urgency.
I wrote that there were some things the Pelicans could learn from the Pistons, and the Pels learned them the hard way last night, getting wiped out in the second half by a team near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
The Pistons aren’t great but they play hard every game, illustrating to the New Orleans Pelicans that you can’t overlook anyone or give less than 100 percent effort if you want to win in the NBA.
The Pelicans are a young team but they are learning these lessons slowly and the losses are mounting. The Pels are lucky that most of the teams they are competing with have done the same, which is the only reason they are not already buried in the standings.
It’s still not too late but if the New Orleans Pelicans don’t learn some things from this loss then there is probably no hope.
Here are three things that must change.
New Orleans Pelicans: The Pels need an injection of heart
Last night, Dennis Smith Jr. slapped the ball out of Kira Lewis Jr’s hands after the rookie committed a turnover at half court. Smith Jr. (who just got out of the G-League) was playing fake tough guy and Kira was having none of it.
The rookie responded by getting two steals in a row and really ratcheting up his defense.
Unfortunately, his teammates barely noticed. How is your 160 lb. rookie the only one standing up for himself? Why is he literally the only player who responded?
The Pels played with zero urgency on the defensive end, giving up 123 points to a Pistons’ team that is 23rd in the NBA in scoring, averaging just over 108 per game.
There was no hustle, no life and so many dumb errors it was starting to baffle the mind. Lonzo Ball had five turnovers, two of which were just him throwing it away to no one instead of shooting wide-open layups.
It was an ugly effort and even as the final seconds ticked away, the Pels were walking the ball up the floor and looking like they wanted to go check their phones.
I hope this team starts to figure out that if you don’t play hard in the NBA, you lose.