NBA Betting: 4 Things Wrong With New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans, entering play on Monday, Nov. 22, are 3-15, with one of the worst records in the NBA. They are better than only the Houston Rockets and no one else. How did this particular situation become so dire in the Big Easy? What do the Pelicans have to do – or wait for – to become a better team? The first answer is obvious, but there are other problems which have to be dealt with, as you will see below:

1 – Zion Williamson Injury And Physical Condition

The Zion Williamson injury situation is a profound mystery in New Orleans and in the larger NBA. The Pelicans initially thought Williamson would be ready for the start of the regular season, but here we are 18 games into the season – nearly one-fourth of the full season – and Zion has still not played one game. His recovery is way behind schedule, and what makes this worse is that no one seems to know exactly when he will be ready. Zion and the team’s general manager, David Griffin, had both expressed optimism about being ready for the start of the season, but those public statements turned out to not be true. Being inaccurate in public statements undermines trust not only with the public, but with other players and team employees. Griffin is part of this problem, but it’s really a team-wide problem in which nobody seems to be on the same page.

Zion has also had a problem keeping off weight. He is a very large and bulky athlete right now, which has prompted the Pelicans to change their team nutrition plan and adjust other internal methods. This is an organization which keeps scrambling after solutions and chasing answers, instead of being in command of the facts and knowing what to do. The uncertainty surrounding Zion is reflective of the larger culture of chaos inside the organization. It’s a total mess.

2 – Road Woes

The Pelicans aren’t great at home – 2-6 in eight games in New Orleans – but they are even worse away from home. The Pels are 1-9 in 10 road games. They have to be able to deliver solid, reliable performances when they catch a plane flight to another city. That is part of NBA life. Teams don’t have to be great on the road to succeed in the NBA, but they can’t be terrible on the road. Right now, the Pelicans are indeed terrible on the road.

3 – No Offensive Firepower

The Pelicans are one of four teams – entering November 22 – which average under 101 points per game.. There are two teams which average below 100 points, two others just under 101. The Pelicans are in that particular group. Keep in mind that every single NBA team allows at least 100 points on defense. No team allows under 100 points. It’s a high-scoring league dominated by 3-point shooting and fluid offense. For the Pelicans to average just under 101 points puts them in the league’s bottom five, an obvious flaw in need of correction.

4 – Missed Draft Picks And Trades  

The Anthony Davis deal, plus recent draft picks, have not delivered the Pelicans the reinforcements they needed around Zion Williamson. David Griffin has swung and missed, and when teams miss on too many draft picks and don’t get sufficient return in big trades such as the Anthony Davis trade, an organization loses its standing and leverage.