A PLAGUED SEASON FOR THE PELICANS

The New Orleans Pelicans were projected to be fighting for a playoff spot before the start of the season, but unfortunately for them, things are not going as smooth as they wanted. They went through a roster overhaul after the Anthony Davis trade, as Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart made their way to New Orleans, with AD heading to Los Angeles to form a dynamic duo with LeBron James. JJ Reddick and Derrick Favors were some other notable signings from David Griffin, the recently hired executive vice president of basketball operations for the Pelicans, who also drafted one of the biggest prospects of the league’s history in Zion Williamson.

Currently 7-23 in the Western Conference standings, Alvin Gentry’s team has almost no chance of making it into the postseason. But how did the Pelicans season went south this early? In a certain way, we can say injuries played a major role in this scenario, and that’s probably the most obvious reason. Zion hasn’t made a single game this year when he was predicted to average close to 20 PPG and 9 RPG. Lonzo Ball, who had already gone through some major injury issues in Los Angeles, is having the same kind of problems in New Orleans, leaving people to believe he wasn’t good enough to be picked with the 2nd choice in the NBA Draft. Ingram, Favors and Reddick all suffered minor knocks who sidelined them for several weeks, as Alvin Gentry never had a chance to work out with a fully healthy squad.

Lonzo Ball is shooting 37% from the field, 33% from 3, 56% on FT.



Pelicans are 2-18 when he plays and 4-4 when he doesn’t. pic.twitter.com/Nz1oaIZLfe — BUCKETS (@NBA_BUCKETS) December 19, 2019

ALVIN GENTRY'S JOB IN JEOPARDY?

However, injuries are not the only answer to this equation. Their head coach has been criticized lately due to their style of play, as they’re performing a high tempo offence without having the personnel to do so. With Lonzo Ball coming off the bench and Zion injured, some of the players who could benefit from this type of scheme, are not logging big minutes, and the Pelicans’ lack of ability to slow it down when they’re not on the court has been notorious.

This month of December has been adamant for the Pelicans. They won against the Timberwolves five days ago, or else they were risking of going the whole month without a single win, as they face Portland, Denver, Houston and Indiana to close out the year. They’re currently 1-10 in December and could end up 1-14. Even with Brandon Ingram playing at an All-Star level, Zion’s return couldn’t come soon enough, seeing how they urgently need some talent to make up for their offensive and defensive flaws.



Check out more NBA news on our NBA section.