New Orleans Pelicans: Where Did The Offense Go?

The New Orleans Pelicans — despite their incomprehensible bad luck with injuries — have flirted with being a top five offense all season. They currently sit in seventh in offensive efficiency, with a cool 105.3 points per 100 possessions.

Sure, Anthony Davis‘ presence within the offense has a lot to do with this. His ability to unleash holy hell on opposing big men with an array of jumpers and slashing moves makes the game easier for any offense. However, there are many other parts to the offense that make it go.

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Before his injury, Jrue Holiday was having a very solid season for the Pelicans as both a distributor on the pick and roll and the even occasionally taking over some of the scoring duties. Tyreke Evans is a slashing dynamo, capable of slicing any defense to create easy shot opportunities for the sweaty, lumbering Omer Asik — who is incapable of contributing anything within an offense besides hanging in the short corner and grabbing offensive boards.

Eric Gordon has finally found his niche as a reliable catch-and-shoot wing (45 percent shooting from three!!!) that is allowed to create off the dribble whenever an opportunity may present itself. Even Alexis Ajinca and Luke Babbitt have their own moments of excellence on offense to help keep this battered team afloat.

So, with this in mind, where has the offense gone these past two games?

Last night’s game against the Phoenix Suns can be scrapped and thrown away because both teams struggled from the field, culminating in a 74-72 crap fest (I want to use a different word than crap there) that shattered all hope that it would be the best game of the night. Maybe the Pellies were spooked about Davis being a late scratch from the lineup. Maybe they were spooked by the possibility of getting into a brawl with the Morris twins with P.J. Tucker as their wingman (I know I would be).

For whatever reason, things did not click last night. Evans appeared to tweak his ankle again and was forcing the issue way too often for my liking (in all fairness, he was probably putting the offensive burden on himself without Davis). Gordon was the only player that really ever got into a rhythm early on, before eventually faltering and finishing 6-of-16 from the field. It really was just a disappointing display of offensive basketball all the way around.

The same can be said for the previous game at home against the Milwaukee Bucks. In that 85-84 defensive battle, the offense had about as much rhythm as I do whenever I take the dance floor at a wedding.

(For those that are unaware, I am a tall, lanky white kid and have no, um, moves. I kind of waddle around or bounce to the music with a smile on my face to give the appearance that I know what I am doing. You know the creepy thumbs-up thing middle-aged dads do when they try to dance? Yeah, I am a firm abuser of that. I may even stick my tongue out while I do it.)

Moral of that little tangent is that the Pelicans need to stop dancing around aimlessly on offense like a goofy white kid on the dance floor of a wedding reception. Instead, they should strive to share the same cohesion that a hip-hop dance crew may display with Davis as their ring leader (what an image I just created in your head).

Is that too much to ask?

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