After starting off the year 2-0, the New Orleans Pelicans hopes of a perfect season came crashing down to the Earth in disastrous fashion, as they dropped their second game against the rebuilding Portland Trail Blazers, 125-103. They won't have much time to let this loss marinate, as they'll take on the Golden State Warriors for another road game with just one day off in between. They don't much time to do it, but this defeat at the hands of the Blazers exposed two dire weaknesses that this team will have to correct if they want to be serious title contenders.
Just like in their first clash, the Pelicans fell into a deep hole in the first half against Portland due to some crushing offensive stupors. This time, though, they weren't able to dig themselves out with a second-half comeback and wound up getting blown out by a much lesser team.
This squad is dealing with injuries, as two of their top players remain out in Trey Murphy III and Dejounte Murray. Still, this Blazers team should be cannon fodder for any half-serious opponent, including New Orleans. This loss turned their comeback road win in their first match against Portland from an encouraging triumph in a trap game into a foreboding omen of things to come. The Pelicans need to let this loss be a wake-up call that motivates them to correct these two glaring issues.
These Pelicans weaknesses were exposed in their loss against the Trail Blazers
1. Lack of rim pressure and playmaking
For a team that's built around Zion Williamson, an otherworldly behemoth sent down by the gods to destroy teams in the paint, the Pelicans sure do struggle to get to the rim. This has been a recurring problem in the Zion era and is exactly the reason why fans and analysts have been clamoring for a real point guard.
New Orleans got a taste of what their offense could be with a true floor general in their season opener when Dejounte Murray dished out 10 dimes and the Pelicans racked up 123 points. Murray actually struggled to generate his own offense against the Chicago Bulls, finishing with just 14 points on an abysmal 4-15 shooting. Still, he was able to jumpstart the team by pushing the pace in transition, probing into the lane, collapsing the defense, and finding open shooters and finishers. The Pelicans got basically none of that in their loss against the Blazers from anyone.
Zion tied with Jose Alvarado as the leading assist man against Portland with four. New Orleans struggled heavily to score in the twenty minutes Z was off the floor, as he's legitimately their only source of rim pressure. CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram can dribble and find the open man, but their inability to get to the cup consistently coupled with their willingness to settle for midrange jumpers grinds the team's offense to a halt when those middies aren't falling.
This is obviously an issue that the Pelicans need to solve, and the solution isn't "wait until Dejounte's back." Whether it's a personnel issue or if CJ and BI just need more insistence from Coach Willie Green remains to be seen, but the lack of results going into year three with this group suggests it's the former.
2. Inability to protect the paint
Many expected the Pelicans to struggle to guard the interior when it was confirmed that their center rotation would consist of Daniel Theis and Yves Missi. Missi has been brilliant to start the year and was one of the few bright spots in this loss. He's also proven to be an excellent shot blocker and overall defender in spots. But, as a 20-year-old rookie, he likely won't be ready to anchor a playoff defense full-time this season.
Daniel Theis, on the other hand, has been practically invisible so far. He may have five blocks through three games, but unless he's directly under the hoop already, he's offered zero resistance at the rim. New Orleans's perimeter defenders weren't much better this game, either.
The Blazers practically got into the lane at will, leading to 54 points in the paint. Coach Green went to his small-ball lineup early in this game to try to mount a comeback, but the Pelicans were getting killed on the interior and on the glass with and without their centers on the court.
It seems inevitable that Yves Missi is named the starter over Theis at some point this year which should help the Pelicans' paint protection, but it certainly won't solve all of their problems. New Orleans needs to either figure out how to defender their rim with Missi, Theis, and in their small-ball looks or they'll have to find a true anchor via trade. Regardless, something's got to budge in terms of their paint protection and soon.