The New Orleans Pelicans have had an up and down start to the season and their record reflects it, as they are .500 after 10 games.
The Pels just lost their second in a row for the first time this season, but are in the middle of a tough stretch of the schedule that has them playing 8-of-11 on the road.
There is plenty to be excited about after the first 10 games, especially with a six-game home stand looming when the Pels should be able to get right and start rolling.
So even though the record is just 5-5, it’s mostly been good for the Pels, especially considering the early injuries to Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. But there have been a few concerns as well and things we’d like to see more of as the season progresses.
So here are some things that have been good and some things that haven’t, starting with the basics.
New Orleans Pelicans: Offense and defense
The good
The Pelicans are currently the highest scoring team in the NBA, averaging 118.5 points per game. They are doing it in unconventional style for the modern NBA, as they don’t shoot a ton of threes and instead get most of their points in the paint and mid-range.
All five starters are averaging double digits, and Trey Murphy III and Larry Nance Jr. are both chipping in off the bench. After that it gets a little more inconsistent, so the Pels do need more regular scoring contributions from 8-10 off their bench, but overall the offense has been humming.
The bad
The New Orleans Pelicans currently have the 20th ranked defense in the NBA, allowing 114.6 points per game, which is not where you need to be if you want to contend for a title. The Pels were 13th in the league last season and allowing four fewer points per game, so this is something that needs to improve as the season goes on.
We may need to see more of Dyson Daniels off the bench, as his defense has been sound in the little play he’s gotten and right now the two small guards aren’t getting it done. The Pels also aren’t blocking many shots and could use some more rim protection, so we may see some Jaxson Hayes minutes in the future.
The good and bad for Zion Williamson
The good
Zion Williamson is healthy, playing well, improving defensively and logging 32 minutes per game, which are all good signs for the New Orleans Pelicans early in the season.
He is clearly still adjusting and getting his rhythm, so I think we can expect his 23 points per game to go up along with his efficiency as he starts making some of the easy ones he’s missed so far this season.
Zion is also still adjusting to Willie Green’s style of offense which has far less iso and far more ball movement than what he was used to with Stan Van Gundy. Coach Green is still learning how to utilize Zion, so the scary thing for the league is that he isn’t even close to peak form yet in either his performance, nor how the Pelicans are going to use him.
The bad
Zion is shooting a very mortal 53.9 percent from the field, which is the lowest of his career. Like I said, he’s missed some bunnies early on that will eventually start to fall as he gets fully back into the swing of things and builds more chemistry with his teammates.
Zion is not getting to the line as much, as he has only shot 5.8 free throws per game, down from 8.7 in his last full season in the league. Part of this is because the Pels’ offense is not so reliant on him plowing through four defenders, so if it is saving some of the hard fouls, that’s fine with me.
But it would be nice if he’d hit a higher percentage of the ones he does get, as Zion is only making 67.4 percent of his free throws, so he’s leaving points on the table.
New Orleans Pelicans: The young shooters
The good
Trey Murphy III is shooting 45.5 percent from long range on 5.5 attempts per game, so he has gotten off to a great start.
So has Jose Alvarado, who is making 42 percent of his 3-pointers on 3.5 attempts per game, which are both huge improvements from last season.
I’d love to see TMIII get a few more attempts per game, as he is the Pels’ best shooter and they don’t really run many plays for him. I think that will change as the season goes on which is why he is my darkhorse bet to win Most Improved Player this season.
If Alvarado can keep this up, he’ll be a real weapon off the bench in spurts, as he is already very good at getting into the lane with his dribble penetration.
The bad
Herbert Jones has had a rough start to the season from 3-point range, hitting just 15 percent on 2.2 attempts per game. Jones has found other ways to get involved in the offense, and his overall numbers are up even though his shooting efficiency has been worse. I am not worried about Herb, as he has been struggling with an injury and will improve as the season progresses.
Naji Marshall is shooting just 30 percent from long range on 2.3 attempts per game, which is actually an improvement from last season, but still not very good. Marshall would probably be better off lowering his attempts even more, though hopefully this improvement from last season is a sign of better things to come.
There hasn’t been much to complain about, but it does feel like the Pelicans have blown a few games they should have won early in the season. Let’s hope they can get them back on this home stand and that it doesn’t come back to bite them later.