This summer, the Pelicans decided to call on James Borrego to support Willie Green, and take particular care of the Pelicans’ attack, 20th out of 30 last season.
The squad has no shortage of great attackers with Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum and of course Zion Williamson, and implementing new systems takes time. Especially when the infirmary is full, and in Houston, the Pelicans suffered their 4th defeat in a row.
“I don’t think the goal was to have the best offense in the NBA after eight games” tempers Willie Green. “When we are at 40, 50 or 60 matches, and especially when the squad is complete, I hope we will really be able to see what we can do in attack. »
After nine games, the Pelicans rank 28th out of 30 in the best offense rankings with 106.9 points scored per 100 possessions. Only the Grizzlies and Blazers are doing worse. They also rank 26th in assists and 3-pointers scored. The absences of Trey Murphy and then CJ McCollum inevitably weigh heavily.
Zion Williamson sees the ball less
The problem too is that Brandon Ingram is catastrophic from afar with a terrible 6 out of 30 since the start of the season! This necessarily weighs on the collective balance, while external skill is not really the specialty of Zion Williamson and Jonas Valanciunas, and the opposing defenses can tighten up.
As a result, the Pelicans have struggled to attack the basket and are only 25th in shots attempted near the rim.
“I’m still learning our new offense. That’s not really what we did last season” confides the All-Star power forward. “There is clearly an adjustment to be made, especially since this is only my 6th or 7th match since my return. Over time, solutions will be found. »
Concretely, what is the difference with last year’s systems? “Clearly, that’s the number of times I have the ball in my hands” answers Zion Williamson. “Last season, I was more able to facilitate the game. This year, I’m a little behind, more altruistic and I let the others find their rhythm.”
The good news is that the Pelicans will play six games in a row at home, and it’s always easier to find automatisms in your room. The bad news is that all six opponents are higher ranked.
“We have a lot of progress to make, and that’s good. This means that we have a lot of room for improvement” concludes Zion Williamson. “It also means that our potential is high. But we remain NBA players, and we must be able to find solutions a little more quickly. »
