Pelicans Inconsistency Becoming A Worrying Trend

The Pelicans are a good team, but in order to be a great one, they need to be consistent, starting with their star players.

New Orleans, LA - The New Orleans Pelicans are 25-18 on the season, good enough for No. 5 in the Western Conference. On the surface, that's a respectable record for an up-and-coming young team in the West. However, if the Pelicans see themselves as contenders, they must be more consistent, especially against the top teams in the West.

New Orleans is 5-5 versus the current top four seeds in the Western Conference. Four of those five losses have come by double-digits. Coach Willie Green knows if the Pels want to advance far in the playoffs, then consistency is what will get them to their ultimate goal. "It's the consistency. To be a top-tier team in this league, you have to be consistent," Coach Green told reporters after practice on Sunday. "That's an improvement area for us. We know it. Everything is on the table in terms of the possibilities moving forward with that."

Dec 31, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) and forward Brandon Ingram (14) share a laugh after a play against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Consistency should start at the top, and while Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are the two best players on the Pelicans, they have recently been inconsistent in scoring or being aggressive in looking for their shots. Ingram went seven straight games scoring under 20 points until he broke that streak with a 28-point triple-double performance against the Charlotte Hornets. He followed that up with a 17-point game in which he only took 11 shots in a blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns. 

Williamson is averaging career lows in points, field goal attempts, and field goal percentage despite missing just three games because of injury or illness. Zion's field goal attempts are all over the place to start the calendar year. Since the beginning of January, Williamson has had four games in which he's attempted 12 or fewer shots in a game. He only has four games the entire year where he's attempted 20 or more shots in a contest.

Zion recently admitted to being passive when his shot is not falling. “I hate missing shots, especially when I miss two shots," Williamson told reporters after a recent loss. "Then I start to get super passive and don’t want to shoot anymore. My teammates and coaches just tell me to stay aggressive.”

Then there is the matter of rebounding. Williamson faced criticism from Hall-of-Fame player Charles Barkley earlier in the year for his lack of rebounding, amongst other things. Zion has just five double-doubles this season, and none since December 28. Williamson is averaging just four rebounds per game in the Pelicans last four losses. Among all forwards in the NBA, Zion ranks No. 62 in total defensive rebounds. 

The trickle-down effect of inconsistency rears itself in close games down the stretch. New Orleans is one of the worst clutch teams in the NBA, with a 6-9 record in clutch games, including 0-6 in games decided by three points or less. The Pelicans have the worst turnover rate and free percentage of any team in the league during the clutch. Numbers like those do not bode well for serious contenders come playoff time.

The ray of hope is that despite some of the bad, New Orleans does a lot well. The Pelicans are one of two teams in the West that is Top 10 in offensive and defensive ratings. New Orleans shoots the three-pointer (No. 4 in the league in three-point percentage) and defends the three-pointer (No. 3 in the league in three-point percentage defense) well. Those are some building blocks for sustainable success. 

New Orleans has 39 games to eliminate some bad habits before the playoffs start. Consistency isn't a light switch you can turn off and on. They must build good habits now or find themselves wondering what could have been at the end of the year.