The New Orleans Pelicans have been downright awful so far this season. They currently sit in the basement of the Western Conference at 3-7, good for the 14th seed. They're technically tied with the rebuilding Portland Trail Blazers, but, having taken two losses to them, the Pelicans are sole owners of the second-worst spot in the West.
It's not that there isn't an explanation for why New Orleans has been so terrible this year. The team has been left decimated by injuries, with nearly their entire core racking up multiple DNPs due to various ailments. Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, and Zion Williamson will remain out for the foreseeable future too, although Jordan Hawkins and Trey Murphy III should be back on the court for the Pels soon.
Not everything can be chalked up to their injuries, though. The Pelicans entered the season with some major question marks surrounding their roster, including their depth and suspect center rotation. The wave of absences has certainly impacted their depth, but their centers Daniel Theis and Yves Missi have been healthy this year. Even at full strength, New Orleans doesn't have any reliable anchors on the roster, and it's severely impacted their defense which is why Head Coach Willie Green may need to consider a strategic overhaul this season.
How the Pelicans can fix their defense this season
Not only have the Pelicans been terrible this year, but their defense has been downright atrocious. They're currently dead last in defensive rating, giving up 119.9 points per 100 possessions. This has cratered their net rating to -10.6, third-worst in the NBA, ahead of only the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards, two teams who were expected to compete for the number one draft pick this season.
It's not impossible that getting Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, and Trey Murphy III back will drastically improve the team's defense. After all, each of those players is an excellent individual defender — or, at least, is supposed to be one. But, none of them are true centers which is what the Pelicans need most on defense.
New Orleans gives up 58.2 points in the paint, which is the second-most in the league behind only the Chicago Bulls at 58.8. They also allow 14.6 second-chance points per game, showing their inability to defend inside and finish possessions. Sure, deploying better perimeter defenders should cut down on penetration, but it's clear that this defense needs a lot more help than the reinforcements they have coming off of the injury report.
Willie Green has built an acceptable defense in the Bayou despite employing several turnstiles using his system. The Pelicans' defense is predicated on strong help, crisp rotations, and early positioning. Over the years, they emphasized containing slashers and cutting off driving lanes, funneling attackers into their shot blockers like Jonas Valanciunas and Larry Nance Jr. This also helped to make sure that poor individual defenders like CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson weren't repeatedly exposed on the perimeter.
Unfortunately, the Pelicans don't have the perimeter defenders or big men to make this scheme work anymore. Herding opponents towards Daniel Theis and Yves Missi is a clear recipe for disaster, even with the rookie center impressing early on.
Instead of trying to slow down their opponents, plugging holes to prevent the dam from breaking altogether, a strategy that's brought mediocre results in the past several years, the Pelicans may need a complete defensive overhaul to succeed on that end of the court with this roster.
Rather than playing it safe to prevent offensive explosions, New Orleans needs to go the other way to maximize their personnel. They need to go on the attack on defense, hounding ball-handlers, playing in the gaps, and overall emphasizing the creation of turnovers instead of the safer containment approach.
This will put less pressure on Theis, Missi, and Zion to become true defensive anchors, something none of them are currently equipped to do. It'll also help their offense by getting them out on breaks where their shooters and athletic slashers can really shine. Between Dejounte Murray, Jordan Hawkins, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, Jose Alvarado, Yves Missi, and Zion Williamson, the Pelicans have more than enough players who can thrive in this kind of chaotic system.
There are a few different teams that use aggression to try to protect their weaker individual defenders: the Golden State Warriors, the Denver Nuggets, the Sacramento Kings, etc. The Pelicans need to take this idea to the next level and build an identity around it if they want to be a positive defensive unit.