It’s been almost a month since New Orleans Pelicans they won their last game and since the start of 2023 they have yet to string two consecutive victories together. The reduction of sion Williamson has sent NOLA plummeting at a breakneck pace, in which they’ve dropped out of contention for the lead west to be on the limit by typing it Play-In. A more than impressive drop from one of the teams that had given the best performance of this campaign and which was expected to be the big surprise of the year.
His 10 consecutive losses pelicans It is the best summary of the moment they are having. Willie Green’s men seem to have completely lost their magic and are now closer to the team than last year. The last of his failures came at his hands Dallas Mavericks who won 111-106 in a closing where it was not Luka Doncic due to injury.
Without making much noise, New Orleans is gone in the blink of an eye. And not even the return to his courts Brandon Ingram It served as a deterrent to change the team dynamic.
subscribe to NBA League Pass to see all games: United States | The rest of the world
The main reason for his descent into hell lies in the team’s sudden drop in offensive efficiency. The The Pelicans have gone from sixth-best offense in the NBA (114.8) to last in those last 10 matchups with a deficit 105.7 register. Willie Green’s men can excuse Zion’s absence to justify a drop, but no drop can have such an impact on a group’s productivity.
There are two areas that explain why New Orleans has run out of magic these weeks. And no, it has nothing to do with Zion Williamson’s absence from the team. Probably with one of the team’s proper names like CJ McCollum.
The Pelicans have dropped in 30.6% from the middle and 28.8% from the front triceps and elbows. Those marks are two of the worst in both areas in the entire NBA over these last 10 games, which goes hand-in-hand with McCollum’s concurrent slump of 31.5% outside accuracy. Add to that the fact that Brandon Ingram is still out of shape, shooting 29.8% from the field and 13.3% from three, and it makes sense how Louisiana has fallen so quickly.
“We have a lot of games to turn it around”Willie Green said after the latest loss. “We dug this hole. We have to get out of this.”
The setback drops the Pelicans to 10th place in the Western Conference (26-27), just one-tenth of a percent away from missing the postseason. With 29 games to go on the season, New Orleans has one of the most accessible schedules in the NBA (5th easiest) so they should snap out of their losing streak soon.
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
