The New Orleans Pelicans suffered their first loss of the season to the Memphis Grizzlies. What were the mistakes that were made? How could they address it for the next game?
For the New Orleans Pelicans fans that are panicking after the season opener loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, take a deep breath. If you were clearly watching the game, it was competitive for the most part but some adjustments will need to be made. It was clear that this team and its players are clearly trying to find an identity on the court since the preseason. Winning games off the back of their talented big men of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins will not get them very far. Especially seeing them lose to a team like Memphis who utilized the majority of their bench to secure the win.
Alvin Gentry must make adjustments and work with the strengths of his players. For example, having Anthony Davis settle for jump shots is a horrible idea. It was clear in the season opener that anytime Davis took a shot, it always missed. He was clearly rushing his shots and never consistently attacked the basket or got to the free-throw line throughout the game. Doing it in spurts through different quarters won’t cut it in this evolving league.
Gameplan to their strengths.
The New Orleans Pelicans must make a conscious effort moving forward of having both Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins attack the paint and get to the free throw line. The Grizzlies had a hard time in the second quarter containing those two big men and were in foul trouble very quickly. The tide turned in the third quarter when the refs weren’t blowing their whistles when both Davis and Cousins were constantly fouled in the paint. That right there should make Gentry realize that the refs will reward the Pelicans the charity stripe if they allow their All-Stars to attack the basket.
New Orleans only scored 44 points in the paint compared to Memphis who had 56 points in the paint, which was basically the entire team attacking the rim and getting to the charity stripe. The Pelicans have the blueprint to model the Memphis Grizzlies and their style of play, playing inside with the All-Stars to open up the shooting from the outside.
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The bench.
The bench play for the New Orleans Pelicans was horrendous in the season opener only scoring 8 points. To be frank, the bench never got any shot attempts to begin with. Ian Clark only made one 3-pointer on 3 shots and was a minus-13 on the floor, mostly because he was getting burned on the defensive end by the players he was guarding. Jordan Crawford only took four shots in the game and made two of them.
Even though the New Orleans Pelicans were playing a shorter rotation, it doesn’t excuse them, especially for not allowing the majority of the team to get involved in the offense. Having your starters score 83 points while your bench manages only 8 points is inexcusable. Allowing your two best players each have over 20 shot attempts of mostly ill-advised jump shots is just silly. The Pelicans only managed to get 15 assists for the game which is a recipe for disaster in any game.
Adjustments for the future.
Alvin Gentry will need to address the shot selection, bench play and offensive schemes, especially for the next game against the defending world champions. The Golden State Warriors are searching for their first win of the season after the tough loss on opening night. If the Warriors face the Pelican team that gave up 18 turnovers, had 15 assists and shot 38 percent from the field, they will wrap this game up early.
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The New Orleans Pelicans must play to their strengths. They need to allow both Davis and Cousins to attack the basket and get to the foul line consistently. Allow constant ball movement for shooters to get in rhythm. If this team can follow that formula, they have an opportunity to win majority of their games this season. It’s too early to panic after just one loss. But if the Pelicans follow the same game plan they deployed in the season opener, maybe concern should creep in.