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ThreadMy current observations of the Pelicans’ offensive issues:
1) Ball movement - PHX ran a clinic on switching sides with the basketball. SVG has pointed to that as an issue since camp started. It has not improved so far.
2) Attacking the rim - Only four teams drive to the basket less than the Pelicans. Those teams are a combined 5-9. Their conversion rate on those drives is bottom third in the NBA. Add that to the poor shooting and you get disaster.
3) Moving/screening without the ball - apart from Adams/Ingram, too many guys on the court lose a sense of purpose when they aren’t involved in the play. Zion is particularly bad at screening away for someone else.
4) Reliance on Iso - I love BI as a creator, but putting him at the top of the key all of the time gets pretty predictable. The Pelicans are in the bottom half of the league in passes made & dead last in assists but 6th in Iso plays. Ball gotta move.
5) Down low - Gotta get more paint touches. @JamelleMcmillan pointed this out last night. The Pels get in the paint, and they score. They have to cut down the turnovers, but figuring out how to take advantage of Zion down low early in the shot clock is a key going forward.
6) Post cont’d - Zion is at his best when he catches the ball on the move, but he needs touches on the block, as do Ingram and Adams. Ingram is more than capable of shooting from the block and passing out to open shooters. Adams can finish quick hitters and is a capable passer.
7) Transition - heavily dependent on the defense of course, but the Pelicans are getting less than 20 ppg in transition. That won’t work with this group. They’re built to run. If they can’t get fast break scores, they can’t survive shooting slumps.
FTs - 12th in FTA is too low when you have Zion and Ingram on this roster. Being 29th in FT% is unconscionable.
