Jordan Poole's Return Takes Pelicans' Offense to Another Level

The New Orleans Pelicans had their best offensive performance of the season in Jordan Poole's return.

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Even though wins have been hard to come by for the New Orleans Pelicans this season, the offense has been looking much better under interim head coach James Borrego. The Pelicans are playing with a ton of pace, aggressiveness, and intentionality, attacking the basket and getting to the rim relentlessly. As a result, they have punched above their weight on that end of the floor. In their last ten games, the Pelicans have an offensive rating of 118.0 per Cleaning the Glass, good for the 11th-best offense in the NBA.

Pelicans Offense Explodes Against the Blazers on Thursday

The dynamic Pelicans offense reached new heights against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday. The Pelicans matched their season-high with 143 points, and had their best offensive rating of the season with a whopping 132.7 points per 100 possessions. New Orleans dominated in all aspects of the offense, scoring over 1.75 points per transition play and attempting an incredible 64 shots at the rim. The Pelicans took 62% of their shots at the rim, one of the best rates for any team in any game in the NBA this season.

This has been a trend under Borrego. The Pelicans push the tempo and put defenses on their back feet by consistently driving to the basket. There is less settling for bad shots, which has increased the overall efficiency of the offense.

On Thursday, the new-look offense was given a boost by the return of Jordan Poole. After missing the last 18 games with a quad injury, Poole came off the bench and played 26 minutes. He took the most shots on the team, scoring 22 points on 8/19 shooting. The Pelicans were +18 in his minutes.

While Poole wasn't necessarily efficient, he brings an important element to the Pelicans' offense. He can get to his spots and create his own shot. He is an effective off-the-dribble three-point shooter. This threat opens up the floor for the rest of the Pelicans to attack the basket.

Poole will never be the most efficient scorer. He will miss more than he makes in the majority of the games. But, he is a good fit on this team as he can push the pace, make quick decisions, and space the floor. Every offense needs a player who can create something out of nothing and take the difficult shots at the end of the shot clock. The 26-year-old combo guard can do that for these young Pelicans, and that is more than enough to keep this team as a dangerous offense going forward.