Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson once said “Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.”
NBA legend Ray Allen also said, “It comes down to consistency-if you want to be a great shooter, you have to shoot the same way every time.”
Consistency is the key to finding success over time, as these two legends pointed out. You pay attention to the little details time and time again until it leads to success. However, for the New Orleans Pelicans, consistency has been one thing they have lacked as a franchise.
Now, this may sound exacerbated considering they’re currently a Top 5 team in the NBA’s toughest conference, but Friday’s 123-109 loss at home to the Phoenix Suns was far from the message the team wanted to send.
“It was not our best night on either either side of the ball,” Pelicans head coach Wille Green said afterwards. “Defensively. I just didn’t think they felt us all game. They played pretty comfortable and give them credit, they came in and they they dominated the game.”
Devin Booker was dominant for the Suns, dropping 52 pints on 18-30 shooting to continue having a great career when playing against his hometown team. The former Kentucky Wildcats star grew up in Moss Point, Mississippi, which is roughly 100 miles from New Orleans.
“He’s got to feel us from the start,” Green said about Booker’s performance. “Give him credit, he’s a heck of a scorer, and he had a terrific game, but we have to be better. We know it and our guys in the locker room know it. We’re okay with tough shots, but he got some easy ones to get some easy baskets in transition. And when a guy has it going like that you can’t give him anything easy.”
The lack of consistency has been an issue for the Pels all season, who currently sit at 25-18 on the season. After starting the season 4-1, New Orleans dropped five straight before going 8-5 over the next month, including the embarrassing 133-89 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the semifinals of the inaugural In-Season Tournament in Las Vegas. Sitting at 12-11, a switch was seemingly flipped for Green’s squad, who then won seven of the next 10 to put themselves in a more fortunate position.
Part of the lack of consistency has to be attributed to the Pels’ Big 3 (Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum and Brando Ingram) still learning to play together. Coming into this season, Williamson, and McCollum had only played 10 games together, so it’s a learning curve there. The trio has played more together this season, with McCollum on the floor for 29/43 games, Williamson 35/43, and Ingram missing just four games.
Many people have long said that if the Pelicans could find some luck in the health department, they would be a top-five team in the Western Conference, and they’ve shown that. However, maybe it’s history coming into play, but while they are a top-five team, it feels like they could be in ninth or tenth place by the end of the month.
Recently, the team traded Kira Lewis Jr. as a part of the mega Pascal Siakam to the Indiana trade without getting anything in return. What the move did was save the Pelicans $18 million in cap space and keep them from having to pay a luxury tax in 2024. It also frees up a roster spot and allows David Griffin to be aggressive at the trade deadline if he and the coaching staff feel there’s a position of need for the team.
I feel like a broken record in saying this, but a veteran and experienced point guard would do wonders for this Pelicans roster. You can move McCollum back into his off-ball shooter role that made him so impactful in Portland and part of the reason why you acquired him two years ago, play BI and Zion at the three and four with Jonas Valacunias at the five. Then, your “small ball” lineup could consist of *insert point guard name here*, CJ, Herb Jones, BI, and Zion at the five.
Going back to the schedule, the road won’t get easier for New Orleans welcomes Utah and Oklahoma City come to “The Blender” this coming week, before going on the road to play Milwaukee and Boston. Here at the halfway point of the season is the perfect opportunity for a team to figure out where their biggest shortcomings are and how to turn them around for a playoff run.
For the Pelicans, it comes down to getting consistent shooting and execution from your key players and finding a way to close out games late. There have been too many instances this season where the Pelicans held a lead in the second half or even the fourth quarter and let their opponents right back into the game and find a way to win. If I’m Griffin, I’m looking for a guard that has that Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Michael Jordan mentality of being a stone-cold shooter late in games and shutting the door on your opponents.
If the Pelicans can’t find consistency in their on-court play, it’ll be another season ended in mid-late April.
Matt Miguez is the host of the Miguez Mindset Podcast on ESPN Southwest Louisiana’s YouTube Channel. He is also a digital contributor for ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles.