The losses for the New Orleans Pelicans have piled up to 19 on the 2020-21 season after the San Antonio Spurs dealt them a 117-114 defeat on Saturday night. After another disappointing loss, Zion Williamson offered words of hope and suggested they need to iron out some more parts of their game before they can finally break out.

Via Andrew Lopez of ESPN:

“I'll say this… I feel like we're almost there. There's some small things we have to figure out. But we're almost there. If we figure those small things out, we'll be there,” the Pelicans youngster shared.

Many expected that breakout to happen this year, but as they currently stand, the Pelicans still sit on the outside looking in on the Western Conference playoff picture. Zion Williamson has certainly done his part in leading the young squad, as evidenced by being named an NBA All-Star for the first time in his career. He posted a double-double in their three-point defeat to the Spurs, scoring 23 points and grabbing 14 rebounds to go along with five assists. This effort and Brandon Ingram's 29-point night were not enough to take down the depleted Spurs.

The Pelicans have been wildly inconsistent this season. They certainly don't need to figure things out on offense, as they boast a top-5 offensive rating across the Association, as well as average the fourth-most points on a per game basis. Their issues, however, lie on the other end of the floor. They rank near the bottom of the league in terms of defensive rating and give up the fifth most points per game to their opponents.