New Orleans Pelicans: Nine games left to save the season

The New Orleans Pelicans’ heartbreaking loss to Denver personified a frustrating, disappointing season. An early deficit due to a lack of energy and passion put the team in a hole they could not dig out of.

Sitting at 28-35 with nine games to go, New Orleans is somehow only three games back from Golden State. Fortunately, in the last nine games, the two matchup three times. All hope is not lost, but the stretch run home decides that.

The nine-game sprint into the play-in tournament started last against Oklahoma City. The  Pelicans were able to dispatch of the Thunder will a solid defensive effort and big games from Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, who combined for 51 points.

Looking past the Thunder, all New Orleans’ games are winnable. They face Minnesota, Golden State twice, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Memphis, Dallas, Golden State, and Los Angeles Lakers. All but Minnesota are in the playoff picture, but that should not deter from the idea that these games are incredibly winnable.

Injury, health, and inconsistency plague all these teams. Philadelphia and Los Angeles may be in the mindset of limiting minutes and resting players as their seeding may be guaranteed.

New Orleans Pelicans Schedule: Can the Pels save their season?

The New Orleans Pelicans’ April has been disappointing to date. A 7-10 recording featuring blowout losses to Atlanta and horrific overtime defeats to Orlando, Washington and New York prevented the franchise from having the inside track heading into the final ten games.

Statistically, their three-point shooting fell to 28th in the league while posting the worst plus-minus of any Western Conference team within the playoff picture (-1.4). The defense is still a work in progress, but the clearest issue is turnovers. New Orleans has become extremely careless with the ball, resulting in over twenty points off turnovers per game. Currently, the team throughout April turned the ball over 15.5 percent of the time.

The combination of porous shooting and high turnovers gives the team little chance to amount comeback or control the lead. New Orleans will have to tighten up the turnovers. In an ideal world, the shooting percentages would increase but that is unlikely given what we’ve seen so far.

The improvements align with improved play from Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball. Ball struggled after his return to the lineup but has recaptured the form through the start of 2021. In losses, Ball struggles offensively compared to their wins, with the most significant factor being three-point shooting. His average goes down roughly 13 percent! In itself, that mark is astonishing but highlights the importance Ball has on the team’s offense.

As well, Ingram’s shooting splits are just as dire. Again, Ingram’s number drastically dropped across the board, notably with field-goal and three-point percentage dropping 8 percent and 17 percent, respectively.

If those numbers don’t highlight the problem, nothing will. New Orleans needs Ingram and Ball to create space. To function effectively, New Orleans has to create space for Zion Williamson. Williamson operates the best with four shooters. As Ingram and Ball serve as the best shooters of the squad, nights off from them signal imminent defeat.

New Orleans Pelicans: Cautious Optimism to end the Season

Do I still believe the franchise can finish tenth? Yes. Do I think it will happen? No.

The New Orleans Pelicans have shown this year to expect the unexpected. The team regularly plays to the level of their opponents. Therefore, they can match it with the league’s best and slug it out with the league’s worst.

Realistically, New Orleans must beat Golden State twice and win eight of their last ten. When looking at the schedule, this isn’t improbable. However, it is as likely as the team losing eight games.

It’s strange but not surprising that with nine games left, there is so much uncertainty. All year long, players, fans, and staff are frustrated by the team’s mental makeup. There doesn’t seem to be much resolve at times. Although, when their backs are up against the wall, the team surpasses and pulls off great victories.

The one limitation, which may be the issue further holding the team back, is their inability to string more than a couple of wins. We saw the Knicks rattle off nine wins in ten games this month. New Orleans will need something like that if they are to make the play-in game. If they do get in, much like the season, anything can happen.