New Orleans Pelicans: 3 goals for the final stretch of the season
New Orleans Pelicans goal No. 2: Take better care of the ball.
One of the issues that non-playoff teams tend to face is that they turn the ball over too often. This is a multi-faceted problem in that it stops the momentum of the Pelicans and it gives momentum to their opposition.
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Fortunately for the Pelicans, their offense is strong, based on the play of Williamson and Ingram. They are ranked seventh in the league with 115.1 points per game. The impact of this the other way is what hurt the Pelicans this season. They gave up 114.8 points per game, which is 24th in the league.
The worst offenders for the Pelicans are Williamson (2.7 per game), Ingram (2.5 per game), and Ball (2.2 per game). This is not a terrible thing as these three players, plus Bledsoe, are the main playmakers for the Pelicans.
If these players can turn the ball over less, then the Pelicans can start to give up fewer points and then not have to work as hard to stay in touch with their opponent. They have a lot of the major pieces that are required to start making a push for postseason action. Getting the fundamentals right in the next six games will go a long way towards this.