New Orleans Pelicans: How to fix the Pels’ three-point defense

New Orleans Pelicans: What’s wrong with the Pels’ three-point defense?

So how did a close game slip away from the Pelicans? Chris Paul is at the crux of that question.

The man often coined the point guard for his playmaking prowess ended the night with 19 assists. More than that, though, what struck me was how easy he made it look. Paul had the Pelicans defense on strings all the way from the first quarter until the end of the game. He was more than one step ahead at all times and took pleasure in manipulating a youthful New Orleans squad.

Paul’s defining moment of the game was when he splashed a deep three in the face of Lonzo Ball. As he went back down the court, Paul pointed down at the court and motioned “I own this place.” The shot was the dagger, but it was only the culmination of Paul’s basketball brilliance. He played for the then-New Orleans Hornets from 2005 until 2011 and, by the end of Friday night, had Pels fans clamoring for his return to the Big Easy.

Paul made Frank Kaminsky look like a world beater in the first half. Kaminsky is averaging 7 points per game and finished with 17 against the Pels. Early in the first quarter, Paul ran a simple pick-and-roll with DeAndre Ayton. That attracted both Eric Bledsoe, Paul’s defender, and Willy Hernangómez to come out towards him.

Hernangómez’s step up to Paul meant that Ayton was now unguarded in the paint, forcing Zion Williamson to leave Kaminsky and help. This meant that the Pelicans had all five of their defenders on one side of the floor and the Phoenix forward was left in acres of space on the weak side. Paul made an easy skip pass (easy for him) and Kaminsky hit the three.

A few possessions later, Paul generated yet another wide open triple for the former Wisconsin man. I’m not going to go through the play because literally the exact same thing, word for word, happened. Bledsoe and Hernangómez went with Paul, Williamson went to the paint to cover Ayton, and Kaminsky drilled a corner three from the previous spot.

Stan Van Gundy and the Pelicans failed to address the team’s problems covering Paul in pick-and-roll situations even as they were getting torched in those plays.

In the second quarter, Paul got switched onto Williamson. Ayton set another screen for him and the result was the same even though there was a slight adjustment. Jaxson Hayes was on the floor this time and he did better coming up to Paul rather than getting stuck in no man’s land. However, Williamson was late backpedaling to Ayton which meant that JJ Redick had to stunt for a brief second—enough time for Paul to find Jae Crowder, Redick’s man, for an open three.

These plays in the first half simply foreshadowed what would ensue in the fourth quarter. With four minutes to go, the Suns ran the Paul/Ayton pick-and-roll again. Williamson and Bledsoe followed Ball, Josh Hart had to leave the weak side corner to help, and Ball made a one-handed pass to find Cameron Johnson for a corner three.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.