4 NBA teams in desperate need of a big November
No. 2: New Orleans Pelicans
Record: 1-6, 15th in Western Conference
Remaining November Schedule: vs. TOR (11/8), at CHA (11/9), vs. HOU (11/11), vs. LAC (11/14), at MIA (11/16), vs. GSW (11/17), vs. POR (11/19), at PHO (11/21), at UTA (11/23), @ LAC (11/24), vs. LAL (11/27), at OKC (11/29)
Even with how unpredictable the NBA is, expecting a team with the likes of: Jrue Holiday, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and J.J. Redick to represent the bottom-feeders of the Western Conference would’ve felt a bit impulsive.
Yet, here we are, two weeks into the season, and the New Orleans Pelicans share a stake with the New York Knicks as the only one-win teams in the Association.
Granted, the Pelicans have been on the wrong end of lady luck constantly; of their six losses, half of them have been by single-digits and they’ve yet to drop a game by more than a dozen points.
As the six-to-eight week wait for Zion Williamson’s return rolls on, the Pelicans have fulfilled half of the obligation. In-game, they’ve been competitive and even took a game away from a Finals-contending Denver Nuggets squad.
But given their November schedule — and the fact that they’ve already fallen to 0-2 on the month — it’s worth wondering what the setting will be when the No. 1 overall pick does return to action.
The rest of November’s 12-game slate sees the Pelicans splitting six games at home and six away, including a three games in four nights road tour against the upstart Phoenix Suns, the Utah Jazz and the LA Clippers. But, in four tries, they’ve yet to bring home a road victory, making trust difficult to come by.
It feels like a surprise, especially for a backcourt with as much defensive talent as Lonzo Ball and Jrue Holiday, but stopping opposing teams has largely been the culprit for the Pelicans’ slow start to the season. As of Nov. 6, they rank dead last in opposing points per game, and next-to-last in defensive rating.
The good news is that these problems are represented on paper. The Pelicans have been employing a bit of a “small ball” approach, having 6-foot-7 star Brandon Ingram play 78 percent of his time at the power forward position.
Anytime your starting power forward’s nicknames are “Slenderman” and “Tiny Dog,” and your most frequently-used center — Jahlil Okafor — has viral defensive lowlights that nearly cost him a spot in the league, it’s a pretty safe assumption that the defense figures to suffer.
Teams will work within the agenda of either: a) getting shots right at the rim and b) 3-point attempts, particularly from the corner. The Pelicans are allowing a league-high 37.9 shots per game at the rim and the second-most attempts from the corner pocket.
Offensively, that philosophy has worked beautifully. The Pelicans run at the third-fastest pace in the league and play unselfishly; over two-thirds of their field goals have been assisted and Ingram — in the 91st percentile in assist percentage — has been the catalyst for that. It’s the other side of the ball in need of work.
November’s schedule doesn’t appear to invite much of a relief, either. Highlighted by two meetings against the LA Clippers and matchups against the red-hot Heat, Lakers, Suns and Jazz are on the horizon.
On paper, the easiest battles they’ll come across are the Charlotte Hornets (4-3), Oklahoma City Thunder (3-4) and the Golden State Warriors (2-6), the latter two having already contributed to New Orleans’ six-loss start to the season.
Variance could certainly change things; Holiday won’t continue to shoot 37 percent and the Pelicans’ luck in late-game situations could change. But if not, there’s going to be quite a damper on Ingram’s All-Star level breakout season.