After a strong 10-5 start post All-Star break, the New Orleans Pelicans have appeared to fall back to reality, dropping their last 5 games. This stretch of games was a great test for this Pelicans group, facing off against five playoff teams, but in each of these matchups, the team’s continued inability to rebound at a high level has sunk them.
All season, the Pelicans have struggled to win the rebounding margin. Nightly, the Pelicans will string together strong defensive possessions that get washed away because the team can't maintain the ball after a missed shot. This flaw reached a new low Sunday against Houston, as New Orleans was beaten 59-36 on the boards and gave up 27 rebounds to the Rockets' bigs, Alperen Sengun and Clint Capela. Houston's 22 offensive rebounds resulted in 31 second-chance points and just made it impossible for New Orleans to gain any positive ground in this game.
The Rockets rank 54.5 in rebound percentage this season and, under head coach Ime Udoka, have built a culture of crashing the glass and being a physically paint-oriented team. So the Pelicans being dominated the way they did on the glass Sunday isn't incredibly shocking. But it should be a massive wake-up call for Troy Weaver and Joe Dumars that, without a true center, this team can't compete with the top dogs in the Western Conference.
If the Pelicans can’t rebound, they can’t compete
During this five-game skid, the Pelicans were outrebounded 246-195, meaning they lost that battle on average by 49.2-39.2. When you have these poor margins on the boards, you're going to lose games by 32 points, like the Pelicans did Sunday against Houston, 134-102. The Pelicans are already at a disadvantage on the glass, with 6-foot-6 Zion Williamson playing power forward, and the lack of experience and elite rebounding skills at the center position only makes things worse.
Both Yves Missi and Karlo Matkovic have had strong second seasons and have both shown potential to become high-quality rotational bigs in the league. However, they both are still so early in their careers, and lately it's become so apparent that this lack of experience is sinking the Pelicans nightly.
Originally, the idea was that the signing of Kevon Looney this summer would fill that need for experience and a true rebounder. But he appeared in only 19 games this season and has never been able to become a real part of the Pelicans' rotation.
If the front office has any plans to be a competent team next season or an environment that can foster strong development for their young talent, like Jeremiah Fears or Derik Queen, it starts with the center position. Having a rebounding presence that the coaching staff can be confident in on the glass will make everyone's lives easier and help this team stay in games they fall out of at times.