Stan Van Gundy and his New Orleans Pelicans have fallen into quite of a rut, with their recent 118-102 loss to the Utah Jazz. That's their sixth loss in seven games. Utah was on fire from beyond the arc, going 21 of 47 (44.7 percent) on the evening. This, apparently, has been the trend for Brandon Ingram and the Pelicans throughout the season.
Via Will Guillory of The Athletic, New Orleans has converted just 128 three-pointers through the first 13 games of the 2020-21 campaign. Meanwhile, they have given up 210 triples to their opponents.
Thru 13 games,
Pelicans 3-pointers made: 128
Pelicans 3-pointers allowed: 210— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) January 20, 2021
Head coach Stan Van Gundy emphasized the need to make adjustments to tone down the number of threes they are letting their opponents take.
SVG says the players have to execute better, but it'll probably take some schematic adjustments to reduce the number of 3s they are giving up. It's a problem players and coaches have to address.
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) January 20, 2021
Meanwhile, All-Star forward Brandon Ingram believes they should incorporate more three-pointers into their offense.
Brandon Ingram: "We have to shoot more 3s."
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) January 20, 2021
As a team, the Pelicans shot just 6 of 26 from downtown against the Jazz, which is a below-average 23.1 percent. The 45-point difference from long range clearly became one of the factors why they failed to carry the momentum from their most recent win over the Sacramento Kings.
Zion Williamson led the way for the Pelicans with 32 points, but most of his damage came from inside the arc. Brandon Ingram, who shot 39.1 percent from three last season, missed his lone three-point attempt on the night. Meanwhile, the returning Lonzo Ball missed all of his six triple tries on the evening.
Obviously, the 3-point shot has become one of the main offensive weapons in today's NBA. Aside from, perhaps, veteran guard JJ Redick, the Pelicans don't have other legitimate outside threats. Ingram, although an improved sniper from downtown, is more known for his well-rounded offensive game rather than being a knockdown shooter. Their two guards, Ball and Eric Bledsoe are still inconsistent from beyond 25-feet.
It remains to be seen how the Pelicans will make their adjustment, whether it be on the defensive end, as Van Gundy alluded to, or on offense as Ingram hinted. Regardless, New Orleans will need to make changes if they don't want to fall behind in the tough Western Conference.
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