The New Orleans Pelicans have started 0-3, and the same old problem is already staring them in the face again: they’re unraveling when the game tightens up.
A coaching change over the offseason hasn’t fixed that part of the equation. The Pelicans have been close in each of their first three games, but close has done them no good.
They’re only a few possessions from being 3-0, and that’s exactly what makes the start so frustrating. The results have been there to steal, but the execution hasn’t.
Last season, clutch play was one of the biggest reasons New Orleans kept coming up short. The NBA defines clutch moments as possessions in the final five minutes with the score within five points, and the Pelicans finished No. 29 in the league in those situations with a -20.3 net rating. They were 12-30 in qualifying games.
This season has opened in painfully similar fashion. It’s a tiny sample, just 17 minutes of action, but New Orleans is already sitting at a -19.1 net rating in clutch time.
Overall, the team’s -2.4 net rating is much better than last year’s -4.4 and sits around the middle of the league. But that bigger-picture number doesn’t mean much when the Pelicans keep bleeding points late.
The shooting numbers tell the story. New Orleans has not made a three in the clutch this season and is shooting just 37.9% from the field in those moments.
The bigger issue is how the offense is being run when the pressure rises. Trey Murphy has only taken one shot in those 17 clutch minutes. The late-game offense has narrowed into a Zion Williamson and Dejounte Murray tandem, and neither has made it work.
Murray is 3-of-11 in clutch situations and, according to the source, has stopped really sharing the ball. His shot selection and decision making have not been good enough. Williamson is 3-of-7 from the field and has already coughed it up four times.
That’s a tough way to close games, especially when the two players expected to carry the load are both slipping when it matters most. Outside those late minutes, Williamson and Murray have both been solid. But the Pelicans haven’t been able to keep that level of play once the game gets tight.
There was a different feel when New Orleans was rolling against the Denver Nuggets. The ball moved, the looks came easier, and the offense looked connected. That has disappeared in the clutch, where the Pelicans have drifted toward hero ball instead of finding the open man.
Jamahl Mosley has said he’s evaluating games in five-game stretches before making major decisions. That means the Pelicans have already gotten an early read on one of their biggest issues, and it’s not subtle.
Something has to change. They’ll have a few days to sort through it before playing again Wednesday.
In Other News...
Jokis Postgame Frustration Put Nuggets Fans On Edge After Comeback Win
The Pelicans watched Denver dig itself into a deep first-half hole, with the Nuggets trailing by more than 20 points before turning the game around and escaping with an overtime win. It was the kind of comeback that usually settles a building down, but the atmosphere had already turned tense when the home crowd started booing during the early deficit.
Nikola Joki did little to cool that edge afterward, making clear he noticed the reaction and was bothered by it. With his future beyond this season still not fully settled, the Nuggets star has said he wants to stay, but nights like this only sharpen the scrutiny around how Denvers top player feels about the environment around him. [Read more 🡒]
Former Pelicans Defensive Spark Gets A New Chance Worth Watching
The Thunder made a roster move this week after Otega Oweh was waived following a torn Achilles tendon in the preseason, and the opening was filled by a familiar name for Pelicans followers. Oklahoma City turned to Micah Peavy on a two-way contract, giving the former second-round pick another chance to carve out a role in the league.
Peavy spent last season in New Orleans, where he got into 61 games and showed the kind of defensive energy that can keep a young player in the mix. For the Pelicans, it is another reminder of how quickly those back-end roster pieces can move, especially when a player who had already flashed in New Orleans gets an opportunity elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Trey Murphy May Have Just Shown The Pelicans A Better Way
Trey Murphy III gave the Pelicans a glimpse of something they have not gotten much of yet, and he did it in a game they still lost in overtime to Denver. Murphy finished with 26 points, six rebounds and four assists, topping the scoring total he had managed across the teams first two games combined. The difference was clear from the start: he got more involved, found easier looks and settled into the kind of rhythm that can make his shot creation matter in a bigger way.
New Orleans has spent early stretches searching for a smoother offensive formula, and Murphys night suggested one path forward. His catch-and-shoot chances came more naturally, and the scoring burst was built with help from around the roster, as teammates repeatedly found him in position to do damage. Even in defeat, the performance stood out as more than a hot shooting night - it looked like a template the Pelicans may want to keep exploring. [Read more 🡒]