The New Orleans Pelicans are going to have a much different roster next season and there is debate whether they have improved.
The Pels have definitely gotten younger, faster and more versatile with a team full of position-less players who are good fits around Zion Williamson.
They jettisoned three starters in Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams and Lonzo Ball, so will look to get big contributions from some new players in the starting lineup.
Personally, I think the Pelicans are going to be better this season, as they are more athletic and have guys who are going to play harder than some of the sulking veterans who did not contribute last season.
You can debate whether the defense has improved, or whether the Pels have enough shooting, but there is one area where they are definitely going to be better: free throws.
The New Orleans Pelicans have been one of the worst free-throw shooting teams in the NBA over the last two seasons, which has cost them a lot of close games and is one of the main reasons they coughed up so many 4th-quarter leads.
They were just 29th in free throw percentage last season, but have made some changes that should help the Pelicans make dramatic improvement.
New Orleans Pelicans: Trey Murphy III replacing Eric Bledsoe
Eric Bledsoe stunk for the New Orleans Pelicans and probably had his worst season as a professional, including at the line where he shot an awful 68.7 percent last season on 2.7 attempts per game.
Bledsoe didn’t handle the ball much, so was mostly reduced to standing in the corner waiting for a 3-point shot, which didn’t lead to many attempts.
Shooting under 70 percent as a guard is unforgivable, but luckily, that’s the Clippers’ problem now and the Pelicans have Trey Murphy III, who shot an outstanding 92.7 percent last season in college.
The only problem with Murphy III is that he doesn’t get to the line much either, averaging only 1.6 attempts per game last season.
But at least he can make them when he does, which is a big step up from Bledsoe, who really brought the Pelicans down last season with his poor shooting and attitude.
New Orleans Pelicans: Steven Adams is one of the worst free-throw shooters in the NBA
I really like Steven Adams, as he is a guy who gives his all on the floor, does all of the tough work and never asks for credit.
He was a very good interior defender and rebounder last season and really helped the Pelicans in those areas.
One area where he didn’t help was at the free-throw line where Adams has shot just 54.8 percent for his career. But last season he was even worse, making just 44.4 percent of his free throws on 2.3 attempts per game.
Can I just say that I literally think I could make 44 percent blindfolded with one hand tied behind my back? Just awful.
Jonas Valanciunas, conversely, is a career 78 percent free throw shooter and was just under that last season at 77.3 percent on three attempts per game.
It will be nice to have a center who can protect the rim and be on the floor late in games, as last season Adams was basically unplayable down the stretch because of his inability to hit free throws at even a Shaq level.
Speaking of Shaq, the Shaquille O’ Neal of point guards is finally gone, which is going to help the New Orleans Pelicans at the free-throw line.
New Orleans Pelicans: Devonte’ Graham is a big upgrade over Lonzo Ball at the free-throw line
One of the biggest reasons the Pelicans have had trouble closing out games over the last few seasons is that their guards were absolutely horrible at the line, highlighted by Lonzo Ball.
You want your point guard to be aggressive going after the ball in late game situations, as they are the most sure handed and usually the best at the line.
This was not the case for Lonzo Ball, who is so bad at shooting free throws that he avoids them altogether. Lonzo has averaged a Shaq-like 56 percent for his career, and that’s including last season, where he shot 78.1 percent.
Before you give Lonzo too much credit for his improvement last season, remember that he only shot 1.2 free throws per game, so his improvement was really just a matter of hitting a couple more.
Graham is an 82.2 percent free-throw shooter for his career and hit 84.2 percent last season on 2.9 attempts per game.
He doesn’t get to the line enough either, but at least he can make them when he does, which should help the Pelicans have a much better clutch-time lineup next season.
Last year Stan Van Gundy often had to insert J.J. Redick (who stunk) into games late just because he was the only guard they had who could make a free throw.
Things will be different this season, and improvement at the line could result in a few more wins for the New Orleans Pelicans.