After a humiliating 28 point loss to the Brooklyn Nets, playing without James Harden, where they gave up a whopping 139 points, the once-again disappointing New Orleans Pelicans sit at a measly 22–29, good for 11th in the loaded Western Conference.

This young team filled with star-potential was primed to make a playoff push this year, with the new play-in bracket allowing ten teams to potentially fight for a playoff spot, and because of the development of their young players, Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and Lonzo Ball.

All three players took huge steps in the 2019–2020 season, Williamson’s rookie year, as Ingram was selected an all-star, Williamson averaged an incredible 22.5 points with solid efficiency, and Ball shot a career-high 37.5% from 3 on 6.3 attempts.

The question that has many fans and analysts baffled is : what is wrong with the New Orleans Pelicans? To answer this question, we have to travel back to the offseason.

The 2020 Offseason

Fresh off an impressive 2019 Offseason where Executive VP David Griffin managed to accumulate 3 young pieces in Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and three first round picks, including the #4 pick in the draft for a young star who demanded out of New Orleans, the pressure was on to add the perfect pieces to complete the puzzle on this young roster.

First, Griffin dealt all-star Jrue Holiday to the Milwaukee Bucks for Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, three first round picks, and two future pick swaps. At the time, the haul for an aging all-star with a longer contract seemed yet again impressive. However, the other major Pelicans trade in the offseason, getting Steven Adams for the recently acquired George Hill, Kenrich Williams, multiple other roster-fillers, and a first round pick via Denver, added question marks. 

While these trades seemed like good value for the players they traded/received, they brought on a new problem: the fit of the new additions alongside the younger stars.

Lonzo Ball was still an improving scorer and best functioned as a facilitator, which meant he required the ball in his hands, and because Eric Bledsoe is not a prominent shooter, he would require the ball as well to be most effective.

Then, Steven Adams, a rim-protector who plays primarily in the paint, was not a great fit to their franchise player, Zion Williamson, as he functioned mainly in the paint as well. While Adams’s defense would help offset the defense liabilities that Zion Williamson had, the two play styles would clog the paint and make it harder for Zion to maneuver in the area. 

To worsen the evident problem with fit in the frontcourt, Griffin gave Steven Adams a two year — $35 million extension, fully guaranteed.

Lastly, and potentially the most head-scratching move of all, the Pelicans agreed to terms with Stan Van Gundy as their coach. Van Gundy, previously the coach of those lackluster Detroit Pistons teams that would always bottom out as a fringe-playoff team getting bounced in round 1, was brought in to try and fix the Pelicans defensive woes, particularly in transition, turnovers, and keep the pace.

However, Van Gundy’s gameplans did not match what the Pelicans are best suited for, as his offenses all ranked towards the bottom of the league in pace during his time in Detroit, while the Pelicans are a team whose preference is high-paced offense, especially with transition. 

The 2020–2021 Season Troubles

After a hot 4–2 start, the Pelicans struggled over their next nine games, losing eight of them, and five straight at one point. 

Pace

One of the main reasons was Stan Van Gundy’s coaching, as the team’s pace of play was only average, despite the electrifying duo of Lonzo Ball and Zion Williamson, who preferred the fast-paced run-n-gun style of offense, similar to Mike D’Antoni in Houston. This trend has continued over the length of the season as the Pelicans rank 17th in pace over the whole league at 98.9.

This poor coaching primarily affected Lonzo Ball as during this early stretch, Ball shot 38.8% from the field, 30.1% from three, and averaged only 11.8 points and 4.6 assists due to Van Gundy’s preference of using him as a 3-and-D player, rather than a guard with the ball in his hands. 

Defense

Defensive woes have mainly haunted the Pelicans as they lead the league in blown leads.

Van Gundy was brought in primarily to fix the defensive issues and while coaches like Tom Thibodeau have had success with their defensive approaches on their new teams, Van Gundy’s impact has not been seen yet.

The Pelicans currently rank 28th league-wide in defensive rating at 116.1, despite the additions of Eric Bledsoe, a 2x All-Defensive team player, and Steven Adams. The defensive talent is there with Bledsoe, Adams, and Ball, yet the coaching has not made its impact on the team’s overall defense. 

Rotations

Lastly, coaching rotations have been ineffective all season long, adding to the team’s lackluster record, specifically, against the Portland Trailblazers on March 16.

During the game where the Pelicans had a 17-point lead turned into a loss, rotations were a major problem. First, in the third quarter, Damian Lillard was held in check by Lonzo Ball(3–4 from the field, 0–1 from 3) by getting denied the basketball.

However, in the fourth quarter of the game, Eric Bledsoe was the primary defender on Lillard, allowing him to cook the Pelicans for over 15 points and get the win.

Surprisingly, in a game where Ball also had a whopping 16 assists through three quarters, Van Gundy elected to sit him and Brandon Ingram for extended periods of time in the fourth, allowing the Trailblazers to march back and get the victory. Much has gone wrong for the Pelicans and the issues begin with coaching.

In addition, Van Gundy has trotted out the same starting five all season long : Ball, Bledsoe, Ingram, Williamson, and Adams, despite acknowledging that his current plan is not working.

This adds the question to whether Van Gundy will figure out a way to adapt with his current group, or potentially shake up the rotation by sliding in either young guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, young forward Josh Hart, or young center Jaxson Hayes.

Next Steps

While the Pelicans are a team filled with potential, they must solve their current issues if they want to make the playoffs anytime soon in the loaded Western Conference.

Their young core of Ball, Ingram, and Williamson should be their three mainstays on this roster, but the rest of the starting lineup and areas on the bench must be improved to fix the defensive liabilities this team possesses as well as the problem with pace.

This offseason should be the make-or-break time as Lonzo Ball is a restricted free agent who should gain significant interest on the open market. Currently, it seems like the Pelicans will miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season, placing them in the lottery once again.

Will they reach their potential and make a late-season push or will they continue to disappoint to end the season?