New Orleans went through hell in the semi-finals of the NBA Tournament on Thursday night, losing by 44 points to the future winner. This major setback is necessarily difficult to digest, particularly for Jonas Valanciunaswho suffered like his teammates against the surge of the Lakers.
“We have to do better. It was embarrassing. So quite simply, we must do better. I don't know there was a lack of effort. It was hard to watch this match again on video”, conceded the Lithuanian yesterday.
Even if the slap was tough, the Pelicans must quickly get back into working order as the reception of the leader, Minnesota, looms this evening. Like Jose Alvarado, who sees his teammates quickly turning the page, Jonas Valanciunas hopes that the last few days without a match have allowed the collective to get back on track.
“We always talk, it’s like a family here. We are always trying to analyze something, to correct it. We also welcome what works. We talked about this defeat”continued the New Orleans pivot. “We don’t want to be losers. We have high expectations of ourselves. We got back to our last two days of training. I think we’ve made progress.”
The almost empty infirmary
The defeat, which highlighted the really not optimal physical condition of Zion Williamson, should not, however, make us forget the good form of Willie Green's troops, who also remained on eight victories in their twelve previous matches, with a recent success in Sacramento in particular.
To get back on the right path, the Pelicans will also be able to rely on Jose Alvarado, Nnaji Marshall and Trey Murphy III who are returning from injury and are still continuing their rise in power. While the infirmary was overflowing a few weeks ago, only Larry Nance Jr. remains there.
“It’s good to have everyone back. With the roster complete, we can train hard, and improve with each training session, each time we step on the field. We must continue to progress”added Jonas Valanciunas. “They need to spend some time on the pitch. Not everything is going to come back in one match. That’s why we work, train and correct things to put them in place.”
After receiving Minnesota this evening, there will be a new three-game “road trip” to negotiate, however quite affordable since the Pelicans will go to Washington, Charlotte and San Antonio.
| Jonas Valanciunas | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2012-13 | TOR | 62 | 24 | 55.6 | 0.0 | 78.9 | 2.0 | 4.1 | 6.0 | 0.7 | 3.0 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 8.9 |
| 2013-14 | TOR | 81 | 28 | 53.1 | 0.0 | 76.2 | 2.8 | 6.0 | 8.8 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 11.3 |
| 2014-15 | TOR | 80 | 26 | 57.2 | 0.0 | 78.6 | 2.7 | 6.0 | 8.7 | 0.5 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 12.0 |
| 2015-16 | TOR | 60 | 26 | 56.5 | 0.0 | 76.1 | 3.1 | 6.1 | 9.1 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 12.8 |
| 2016-17 | TOR | 80 | 26 | 55.7 | 50.0 | 81.1 | 2.8 | 6.7 | 9.5 | 0.7 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 12.0 |
| 2017-18 | TOR | 77 | 22 | 56.8 | 40.5 | 80.6 | 2.4 | 6.2 | 8.6 | 1.1 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 12.7 |
| 2018-19 * | All Teams | 49 | 22 | 55.9 | 29.2 | 79.5 | 2.2 | 6.4 | 8.6 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 15.6 |
| 2018-19 * | TOR | 30 | 19 | 57.5 | 30.0 | 81.9 | 1.8 | 5.4 | 7.2 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 12.8 |
| 2018-19 * | SAME | 19 | 28 | 54.5 | 27.8 | 76.9 | 2.7 | 8.0 | 10.7 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 0.3 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 20.0 |
| 2019-20 | SAME | 70 | 26 | 58.5 | 35.2 | 74.0 | 3.0 | 8.2 | 11.3 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 14.9 |
| 2020-21 | SAME | 62 | 28 | 59.2 | 36.8 | 77.3 | 4.1 | 8.4 | 12.5 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 17.1 |
| 2021-22 | NOP | 74 | 30 | 54.4 | 36.1 | 82.0 | 3.1 | 8.3 | 11.4 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 17.8 |
| 2022-23 | NOP | 79 | 25 | 54.7 | 34.9 | 82.6 | 2.9 | 7.3 | 10.2 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 14.1 |
| 2023-24 | NOP | 23 | 27 | 55.8 | 36.4 | 82.1 | 2.3 | 6.5 | 8.8 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 14.0 |
| Total | 797 | 26 | 56.1 | 35.7 | 79.0 | 2.8 | 6.7 | 9.5 | 1.3 | 2.9 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 13.5 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
