The New Orleans Pelicans are fresh from a disappointing five-game road trip where they came out with a 1-4 record. After suffering two-straight losses against the Utah Jazz the journey, Brandon Ingram issued critical comments about his team's performance but remained optimistic that they can eventually get back on the right track in their coming games.

“We have a ways to go,” Ingram said via NOLA.com. “Of course, we have some new guys. We have some young guys. We’re taking the young part of it as not being an excuse anymore. We have a new coach. We have a new system. We’re just trying to figure it out on the offensive end, the defensive end. We’ll just keep fighting and figure it out. But we have faith in everything.”

On Tuesday, New Orleans was bannered by Zion Williamson's 32 points and five rebounds along with Ingram's 17 points and four assists. Only the two of them scored in double digits which caused the team to absorb a 119-102 loss against the Jazz.

In the following game, Williamson topped the team once again with 27 points while Ingram added 23 points of his own. The Pelicans came out flat to sustain a 129-118 defeat from a Jazz squad that has already won seven consecutive games.

After the tough loss, the Pelicans spent the next day watching and focusing on their defensive possessions, which became the focal point of their practice on Friday.

“It usually is not an overnight thing if you’re struggling,” head coach Stan Van Gundy said. “It will take some time. It’s about habit-building. Our habits have slipped since the early part of the season, which is something I talked about even before the game yesterday. We’ve got to find a way to get our habits back but really to get our defensive disposition back, where we play harder, where we’re into people more.”

After the string of losses, the Pelicans now hold a subpar 5-9 record for the 13th spot in the Western Conference. The team is looking to learn from their errors as they hope to finally grab a win when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Jan. 23.