New Orleans Pelicans: Is the rebuild really off to a good start?

The rebuild of the New Orleans Pelicans is off to a bad start because the organization hasn’t acquired enough players to complement the skill set of Zion Williamson

There is a growing sentiment around the league that the New Orleans Pelicans have done an excellent job in the early stages of their rebuild because of the number of assets they received in the Anthony Davis trade.

Mike Prada, Matt Ellentuck, and Kristian Winfield of SBNation are three media members who believe that the organization will have a bright future due to this trade:

"This is a total haul. Ball and Ingram have All-Star potential, and should slot well next to Zion Williamson if they’re not traded for more help. Hart should play a role, too, and the three additional first-round picks (plus the two pick swaps) will only sweeten the quick rebuild New Orleans has in place."

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"They may not have received the All-Star they sought, but the future is bright."

However, one can argue that New Orleans’ rebuild is off to a bad start as the organization hasn’t acquired enough players to complement the skill set of their franchise player, Zion Williamson. Before the NBA draft, Zion had the reputation of a player who functions best with the ball in his hands.

In fact, Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer raved about his passing ability when describing a play in the game against the Kentucky Wildcats:

"Zion skies over a defender for a rebound, takes the ball up the court, then hits Tre Jones with the bounce pass for a layup. It’s not an exaggeration to say the last player to possess this type of skill with similar physical makeup was Charles Barkley. That’s what makes Williamson such a fascinating fit for the NBA. In today’s positionless league, Williamson could serve as the screener or as the ball handler in the pick-and-roll."

Zion’s skill set dictates that he is best suited to be in the LeBron James offense, where he can dribble the ball to the 3-point line and analyze the entire defense. If one of the defenders is sagging off a shooter, he will pass the basketball to the shooter for an open 3-pointer.

On the other hand, if everyone stays home, he will study everything about his defender to determine the next course of action. If the defender decided to sag off of him, Zion would take the open jumper. But, if the defender played him tight, he will attempt to drive towards the basket for a score, to draw a foul or attract a double team.

Distance is not the only aspect of the defense that Zion can analyze as he can pay attention to the size of his defender. If he has a smaller defender, Zion can back him down into the post to score or throw a cross-court pass to a teammate behind the arc.

This offensive system would require his teammates to spend most of the game off the ball as a bystander or spot up shooter. Unfortunately, the New Orleans Pelicans only have three above-average shooters currently on the roster in Josh Hart, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and E’Twaun Moore.

Josh Hart has a career 3-point shooting percentage of 36.1 percent (making 1.3 3’s in 3.6 attempts per game) in two seasons. Hart’s shooting percentage is 0.3 percent [( 36.1 + 35.5 )/2 = 35.8] better than the league average for the past two seasons.

On the other hand, Nickeil has shot 38.3 percent from the behind the arc (making 1.7 3’s in 4.5 attempts per game)in two seasons as a Virginia Tech Hokie. Lastly, E’Twaun Moore has a career 3-point shooting percentage of 39.2 percent (making 0.9 3’s in 2.4 attempts per game) in eight seasons.

E’Twaun’s shooting percentage has been 3.7 percent better than the league average [(34.9 +35.9 + 36 + 35 + 35.4 +35.8 + 36.1 + 35.5)/8 = 35.57] during this span.

Unfortunately, Josh Hart is the only one currently projected to be in the starting lineup with Zion Williamson. Consequently, opposing teams can put four players in the paint, forcing Zion to choose between two less than ideal options kicking it out to the perimeter for an open 3 or take a shot.

If he kicks it out, it’ll be a low percentage shot for the organization because he is surrounded by mostly non-shooters. Over the course of the season, he’ll realize this problem and be more hesitant to pass the ball. As a consequence, Zion will attempt to barrel over the opposing players to take more contested shots.

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In conclusion, David Griffin and the rest of the New Orleans Pelicans front office have messed up the early stages of their rebuild. Therefore, the organization must use their cap space to sign more shooters which will put Zion in the best position to succeed.

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