New Orleans Pelicans: 3 players who underperformed this season

The New Orleans Pelicans had an up and down season that left many fans feeling frustrated with their lack of success.

Some of that is understandable given that they had good health, a budding superstar in Zion Williamson and had added couple of veterans in the offseason in what looked like a move to help them win sooner rather than later.

But the reality is that this was a rebuilding year for the Pelicans, one in which they had to figure a lot of things out on the fly.

It was disappointing in some ways, but successful in others and which side you lean towards probably depends on the expectations you had coming into the season and your overall level of misery, which seems to be pretty high in the Pels’ fanbase.

Regardless of your level of future optimism, the New Orleans Pelicans probably should have been better than they were and came up short largely because several players underperformed.

Here are the three culprits, all of whom are found in the Pelicans’ backcourt.

New Orleans Pelicans: Eric Bledsoe was a disappointment

I am not as down on Eric Bledsoe as some fans, as I never thought he would be anything other than a fringe role player for the Pels, which is exactly what he is.

His overall numbers are down across the board, which was to be expected as he took on a smaller role, but the most disappointing things about Bledsoe were his defense and attitude.

It’s hard to imagine that THIS Bledsoe was an All-Defensive player just last year, as he seemingly took a big leap back in that area. Just about every guard in the league dropped a 40-point game on the Pels this season, often the guy Bledsoe was tasked with defending.

He admitted to “not paying attention” on a crucial play vs. the Knicks which really changed the course of this season.

He was supposed to be “Jrue Holiday-light” but instead was a middling offensive player and poor defender. The New Orleans Pelicans needed a lot more out of their backcourt this season.