The New Orleans Pelicans (21-14) are off to one of the best starts in franchise history but practically no one in the Big Easy was buying this team's stock just a few weeks ago. First came the 44-point NBA In-Season Tournament semifinal loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Three straight demoralizing home losses by two points or fewer had almost everyone in the Smoothie King Center wondering what exactly was brewing down in head coach Willie Green's locker room.
CJ McCollum addressed some of the issues the Pelicans were dealing with and offered a suggestion following a December 26 practice. New Orleans was preparing for a second meeting with the Memphis Grizzlies in a week and had a chance to avenge a tough loss in Ja Morant's season debut.
“Maybe getting some movement into the stuff that we are doing. We want a pick and roll, get some movement first. Movement into the iso. I think it will help with better space, with better passing angles, better driving lanes, and stuff like that.” McCollum explained. “But you give up 106 points you're supposed to win right? We've got to do better offensively. Take advantage, try and get some stops, and get some in transition.”
The offense again fell flat in the clutch versus Morant's Grizzlies hours after McCollum made those comments. Memphis won the fourth quarter 38-26 in the December 19 matchup. The Pelicans only scored 20 points in the fourth quarter in a home loss to the Houston Rockets in between. Those are two of the NBA's top defensive teams, granted, but a “congested” offense was crippling the team's chances. Brandon Ingram would not limit the offensive issues to just late-game situations either after watching Morant skip off victorious yet again.
“It's not just the fourth quarter,” Ingram allowed. “At different times it can be difficult to score the basketball especially when they are keyed in on the stars. We just got to figure out how we can make everybody better and trust everybody in that moment. Like I said, we got 50 more games to figure it out.”
Pelicans flocking around, finding offensive comfort levels
Though it has been a slower process than some would like, give credit where it's due: to Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram's renewed focus on defense. Getting stops makes everything easier offensively for the two former All-Stars. However, the Pelicans' offensive progress in the past 12 games is undeniable. The first signs of significant change came in a win over the Utah Jazz, per coach Willie Green.
“I thought it was better tonight for sure,” Green admitted. “I thought CJ initiated that run to start the game. He was intentional about pushing the pace and taking quality shots. If he didn't have shots he shared the basketball. (CJ McCollum) got to the free throw line. He was really good but overall we moved the ball better. For us it's really about when the game does slow down we still have to get into our sets with force. I thought we did that.”
The 20-point demolition of the Los Angeles Lakers on New Year's Eve in front of a raucous Smoothie King Center crowd provided an avalanche of evidence the changes were working. The Pelicans have not lost since the Grizzlies left town. Green's squad has closed out four consecutive games with double-digit leads in the fourth quarter. They were 0-6 in close games until the post-Christmas change-up.
Moving and sharing the ball shows up in assists numbers. The team's assist percentage on made shots and assist ratio are both up two points. The Pelicans are averaging 27.2 per game on the season but are up to 28.3 assists per game over the last four wins. That'd be good for fifth-best in the NBA if they could sustain that rate over a full season.
The Pelicans have upped their Effective Field Goal percentage by five points and their three-point shot percentage rate by almost six points. New Orleans is 27th in percentage of points coming from three-point attempts (29.9%) this season but just to the top 10 over the last four games (35.1%). Over 92% of those made three-pointers came from an assist, not an isolation play. The energetic supporting cast is flying around the All-Stars and finding out just where the open shots are available.
Two peculiar stats shed light on playoff potential
There are a couple of odd-looking stats amongst all the movement offensive data spanning the last four games: The Pelicans are dead last in PACE, per NBA stats. Green's lineups are 13th over the entire season (99.89) but fall to 30th over the last four games (95.50). However, the Pelicans jump to the top of the Player Impact Estimate chart in this small two-week sample size.
The new-look offense is getting the best out of everyone and the team is actually running one less mile per game collectively. There are fewer scramble drills and more structure on both ends of the court. The Pelicans are becoming more methodical in half-court sets, but moving more off the ball to create some confusion for the opposing defense. It's led to the trio of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum posting 20+ point games regularly.
The Pelicans will need to find a balance but a slowed-down, purposeful offense has historically been a requirement for a deep playoff run. Williamson ‘just wants to win' and does not care how the team accomplishes their goals. After years of doom and gloom narratives, CJ McCollum's movement offense suggestion has New Orleans on the right path.
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