After one month of play, it’s time to evaluate the New Orleans Pelicans’ season up to this point.
With the NBA season now a month in, the New Orleans Pelicans (10-8) start out at seventh in the West. Alvin Gentry has endured many questions — among them, how Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins would coexist and lead the Pelicans to the playoffs. Well, so far, not a bad start considering there were some injury problems early on.
The Pelicans recently welcomed back Rajon Rondo and Tony Allen. As it stands, we have yet to see what the Pelicans can be at full strength. There is a nice mix of veterans, defenders and scorers on this team. No doubt, the combo of Davis and Cousins is enough to deal with. However, the Pelicans still raise some concerns.
It was only a few games ago that the Pelicans were crushed at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. Davis went out with a concussion and the team couldn’t recover. To be fair, the Pelicans are not great defensively. Lose Davis and then the offense suffers too. While the team still has Cousins down low, Davis is the man that makes this team go.
Just watch the difference Davis’ absence makes. Sure, they were already having an off night, but his absence didn’t help matters.
Outside of their big guys, there’s Jrue Holiday who can score, and then everyone else. Rondo is not the same guard that he was in Boston, Ian Clark is a nice backup, and Allen adds another veteran presence. Decent pieces at best. However, it strangely works. As a team, the Pelicans shoot 48.1 percent from the field (second in the NBA) and defensively, while they struggle, have some pieces that can get stops.
Now let’s remember something. Gentry comes from the Mike D’Antoni coaching tree. What exactly does that have to do with anything? Both don’t coach defense. It’s all about the offense with those two. However, for once, the Pelicans have some balance offensively. Are they as balanced as the Rockets or Warriors? No. But, they are No. 7 in points scored at 108.6 per game, and their aforementioned shooting percentage ranks second, ahead of teams like Houston and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
For an example of how they rack up points, check out the highlights of the Pelicans’ last game against the Oklahoma City Thunder and how they survived without Cousins after his ejection.
When healthy, Holiday is a nice option to have offensively.
If there’s one thing that the Pelicans do really well, its moving the ball. As a team, New Orleans is No. 3 in assists, at 25.8 assists per game. With guys like Holiday (5.9 per game) and Rondo (5.6 per game), it makes sense they rank so high in assists. However, Cousins (5.4 per game) is also a top-20 assist man, and at 6’11”, mind you.
Another area the Pelicans rank high in is percentage of points scored in the paint. New Orleans scores 48.9 percent of their points come from the paint area. Having two All-Star big men helps with that, as well as having guys who can penetrate inside like Rondo or Holiday. While the league is definitely more 3-point oriented, having two big guys that can score inside and stretch the floor is a luxury.
While still questionable on defense, the Pelicans aren’t a terrible defensive team. Their defensive rating suggests they’re among the worst. What is that rank? Twentieth in the league at a 105.8 points per 100 possessions. So, can one really say they aren’t a bad defensive team? Yes. Because they have several good individual defenders. The likes of Davis, Allen and Rondo are three examples.
Having Anthony Davis is a plus on defense any given night. The “Brow” averages 11.2 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. Once fully healthy, Allen and Rondo can provide some stout individual defense at their respective positions. As long as these guys stay healthy, the rest of the cast should follow suit. With time and health, this defense has the opportunity to improve.
Overall, it was not a bad first month for the Pelicans considering the injuries they’ve dealt with. With the return of Rajon Rondo and Tony Allen, the depth should start coming together for this squad. No doubt, the duo of Davis and Cousins will continue to wreak havoc on opposing teams.
The offense will be just fine, but defensively, there is still a lot to work on. With only a few individual defenders, this team won’t sustain success. A collective effort can take a team a long way. As the season progress, keep an eye on the Pelicans’ defense. It might just determine how this season ends for them, especially Alvin Gentry.
Next: 2017-18 Week 6 NBA Power Rankings
As New Orleans welcomes back more players, watch out. The Pelicans might just sneak up on teams this season. Only time will tell, and they will go as far as their two stars take them.