Last season was a year of growth and foreshadowing for the New Orleans Pelicans. Led by Anthony Davis, the Pelicans played as a force to be reckoned with. Finishing the season 45-37, they made the playoffs as the 8th seed. Swept by the eventual NBA Champions, the Golden State Warriors, the Pelicans showed promise, and last season was the year in which they set the league on notice.
Fast forward to the 2015-2016 season. Loss after loss hit New Orleans, and very surprisingly, they started the season 1-11. It was not a big deal though, right? A lot of teams in the Western Conference did start off slow. Well, New Orleans did not pick up the pace. They continued to lose games and reality sunk in. As the season progressed, The Pelicans fell to 11-26. Everyone in the NBA seemed to have forgotten about the injury plagued Pelicans.
But, The Brow, Anthony Davis, and the Pelicans do not seem interested in letting this season go to the wayside. As of late, New Orleans has put their foot on the gas. In their last seven games, New Orleans in 5-2, including a close 112-111 loss to the Houston Rockets. The way New Orleans has played in recent games is inspiring for their future, not only in the upcoming years, but for this season. New Orleans is not out of the playoffs yet, and their recent play shows that they can compete for a playoff spot.
Let’s look at what the Pelicans have been doing as of late that has made them a much better team.
The Brow
When Anthony Davis is playing great, the Pelicans, as you expected, play better. Anthony Davis is averaging 23.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game this season. Not bad stats by any means, but he just has not been enough for the Pelicans to win games. But, as of late Davis has been the unstoppable force that he played like last season. In New Orleans’ last 5 wins, Davis is averaging 26.8 points and 7.2 rebounds. He put down a game-winning as well, coming against the Charlotte Hornets. Davis scored over 30 points twice in the seven game span. With Davis playing well, the Pelicans can fly high in New Orleans.
On a bad note, Davis suffered a concussion in the Pelicans’ last game against the Houston Rockets and his status going forward during the Pelicans homestand is very unclear.
Offense
The Pelicans’ offense is very good win they win. They are averaging 112.6 points in their last five wins. The matter of the fact is, New Orleans is nearly unbeatable when they score over 100 points in a game. Their offense has been extremely inconsistent this season, and they have scored 90 points or less nine times this season and in those nine games, they are 0-9. If New Orleans’ offense can continue to trend in the improving direction, the Pelicans will quickly find themselves back in the playoff race.
Ryan Anderson
Amid all of the trade rumors, Ryan Anderson has been getting buckets as of late. He is scoring in bunches, averaging 18.4 in New Orleans last five wins. His offense is great, and his shooting stroke has been something the Pelicans love. Anderson is shooting a red-hot 39.4% from the three-point line this season. Anderson will earn a heavy pay-day this summer if he continues to play at the level he has for New Orleans. Anderson had a game high 32 points in 28 minutes in the Pelicans’ 109-107 win against the Sacramento Kings. His efficiency has been a large factor in the Pelicans’ recent uptick in play, and his minutes should continue to rise as the Pelicans’ season progresses.
The Pelicans now sit at 16-28 and are 12th in the Western Conference. There is still plenty of time left in the season, but they need to play very good basketball the rest of the way. Their recent play is a good indicator of how they want to play and If they continue to score in the ways they have done so as of late, with a healthy roster, the Pelicans will quickly be back in the playoff rankings.
