Pelicans Need Shooting More Than Size
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New Orleans, La.- The NBA trade market is heating up. The Los Angeles Lakers have traded Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks to the Washington Wizards for Rui Hachimura in the latest deal. With the market reset a bit following the massive Rudy Gobert trade, how will the New Orleans Pelicans navigate the market?
The New Orleans Pelicans are missing two All-Stars but were always expected to make a roster-consolidating move before the deadline on February 9. Going by the 10-game sample size segments head coach Willie Green says the team has broken the season into, the team should prioritize shooting more than size.
Brandon Ingram has said several times that winning an NBA Finals series is the goal. The front office might have to attach a future draft asset (or two) to a couple of underperformers on good contracts but that's the price a team with title aspirations has to pay for someone like Pascal Siakam, Gary Trent Jr., or OG Anunoby.
Mar 11, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (2) drives to the basket against New Orleans Pelicans guard Devonte' Graham (4) during the first quarter at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports
Devonte' Graham, for instance, is on a reasonable deal worth approximately $12 million through the 2024-25 season but is average at best on defense and his shooting is hurting the team.
Graham has scored more than 10 points in a game only twice since Thanksgiving. The former Charlotte Hornet finished with 11 points on both occasions. In fact, Graham has scored more than 12 points just three times all season and has made only 16 shots in the past 14 games on 54 shots (29%).
The Pelicans had high hopes Graham could be a sixth-man spark plug type when they made the deal with Charlotte. New Orleans sent a future-protected first-round draft pick and cash considerations plus Wes Iwundu to the Hornets.
That's not the production the team needs, nor is it what the front office signed up for from a sixth-man spark. It hurts even more when CJ McCollum has to carry the offense without Williamson and Ingram. Jose Alvarado and Graham were 3/14 from the field with 3 turnovers in the most recent loss in Miami.
It gets even worse when looking at the larger 10-game sample sizes. Two defensive stalwarts are starting to get into extended slumps. Herb Jones is making only 30% of his three-point attempts while allowing 48% from the field from the man he's defending.
I asked Alvarado if there were any worries about how much energy he expends on defense and if there would be any effect on his offense. Of course, this suggestion was brushed off during Media Day but he seems to have lost his shooting legs with the increase in minutes played.
Alvarado is 29/103 from beyond the three-point arc in the last 23 games. Overall, Alvarado is 50/141 (35%) from the field since Christmas though has picked up a bit lately averaging 11.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists but is down to less than a steal/block per game in the last 10.
The undrafted gem had a 38-point game in December but was 46/123 (37%) from the field on the month. Alvarado has 8 steals this January and averages just under one made shot per quarter over the last 11 games (40 made shots in 44 quarters).
Alvarado was a luxury that the NBA did not see coming last year. The jitterbug-meets-junkyard dog mentality works great in spurts but the Pelicans have been leaning heavily on 'Mr. GTA' lately. They need more from those minutes than just one shot per quarter. Any upgrade in a trade would get Alvarado back to a better-suited role perhaps...unless he leaves New Orleans.
At only $1.6 million on the cap sheet, it's doubtful Alvarado would be needed as a salary filler in a deal. For that purpose, that salary slot is more fitting of Jaxson Hayes ($6 million) or Garrett Temple's $5 million could be traded and waived depending on the destination.
Dyson Daniels and Kira Lewis Jr. have yet to get an extended run to show what they can do in a bigger role. Other teams will still ask how committed the Pelicans are to their young guys. Will the Pelicans give up a future first-round pick to keep Jones, Daniels, Lewis Jr., or Alvarado around?
Whatever the answer, New Orleans needs at least one more consistent shooting threat. Size with a questionable shot is options like John Collins are optional with Williamson and Jonas Valanciunas in the lineup. Willy Hernangomez is a great matchup-dependent reserve big man that David Griffin said was untouchable last trade deadline and Trey Murphy III has enough length to bother most stretch-4s.
The Pelicans sent a protected first to acquire Graham. Now they might have to attach a pick to his contract, plus some additional surplus to requirements salary, to get an upgrade from Toronto or Detroit. Rumors are again swirling around the team giving up a first-round pick for Bojan Bogdanovic but now the stakes are higher.
Zion Williamson and Ingram have signed their max contracts to stick around. They just need a little more shooting to give them space.
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