11 hours Ago
ATLANTA — Following one of the worst losses of the season, Zion Williamson , Brandon Ingram , Dejounte Murray and CJ McCollum all gathered in a corner of the Madison Square Garden’s visiting locker room. These four were supposed to be the foundational pieces of what some considered the most talented New Orleans Pelicans roster assembled since Williamson’s arrival in the Big Easy six years ago. But instead of showing off the skills that made this team so promising, the Pelicans were embarrassed by the New York Knicks on Sunday in a 118-85 blowout that wasn’t as close as the final score suggested.
Advertisement In the aftermath of the team’s eighth consecutive loss, Williamson and Ingram were already in street clothes after sitting out again due to injury. Meanwhile, Murray and McCollum sat licking their wounds as they struggled to find a rhythm while getting thrown into the fire following month-long absences. The story of this disastrous Pelicans season and their shocking 4-18 start has been the injuries to these four — along with several other key role players — that obliterated the hopes many had for this group.
It’s already December and somehow Williamson, Ingram, Murray and McCollum have yet to play a single second together — including the preseason. In total, the four have missed a combined 52 games, and that number will continue to rise as Williamson remains sidelined indefinitely due to a left hamstring strain. That number doesn’t even include the 18 games Herb Jones has missed or the 13 missed by Trey Murphy.
On Friday, the Pelicans became the first team to run through 15 starting lineups in the first 20 games of the season since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976. Under those circumstances, it’s difficult to judge what progress looks like. However, terrible injury luck doesn’t always result in the product on the floor cratering as much as it has recently.
There’s no need for analytical breakdowns or video reviews to show how far New Orleans has fallen. During this losing streak, which was extended to nine games after a 124-112 loss to Atlanta Monday night, the Pelicans have looked like a team that’s lost a sense of who they are. For long stretches, they’ve played with no direction.
No fire. No clear understanding of what they need to do to get out of this rut. In Murray’s first game back from a broken hand, the Pelicans lost by 26 to the Toronto Raptors , who had previously gone 0-10 on the road.
The returning point guard called that effort “disgusting.” Advertisement They responded by losing three road games by a combined 56 points. Earlier in the season, they had several games that were competitive before the lack of depth made it unsustainable over four quarters.
But during the nine-game losing streak, they’ve lost games by 41, 33, 28 and 26 points. Disturbingly, two of those blowout losses have come with several important players back on the floor. Sunday’s 33-point drubbing by the Knicks came with Murray, McCollum and Murphy all in the starting lineup.
Still, the Pelicans managed to score just 28 points in the first half. Considering where the team currently stands, a no-show of that nature is inexplicable. For weeks, the Pelicans have maintained hope despite their bleak reality.
Most of their main players will eventually be back on the floor in the next few weeks. Ingram and Jones are both expected to return as soon as Thursday’s game against Phoenix Suns . But, considering where this team is in the standings and how they’ve played lately, is the hope already gone in New Orleans? “We’re in a tough spot right now.
We’re losing a lot of games. It weighs on guys,” McCollum said. “Everything’s got to be more aggressive looking at where we’re at, looking at the way we’ve been losing.
” When a team suffers through a collapse as severe as the one the Pelicans are going through, it’s only natural for scrutiny to fall on the head coach. Willie Green steadily improved — along with his regular season record — during his first three seasons as head coach in New Orleans despite adversity caused by injuries to his star players. However, when a team looks as lost as the Pelicans have lately, the coach can’t dodge some of the blame.
Some of the greatest coaches would’ve had a hard time winning with the lineups Green had to work with this season. But it’s still his job to ensure the team is ready to compete every night, regardless of who’s on the floor. In the past few weeks, there have been a few times when he’s had trouble meeting that expectation.
Advertisement Based on my conversations with people inside and outside of the organization, I don’t think it’s likely New Orleans will make any drastic moves with the roster or the coaching staff anytime soon. There’s still time to see how competitive this group will be when Murray, Ingram, McCollum, Murphy and Jones all get to play together. But the heat under Green’s seat will only get hotter if the team continues spiraling.
He still has the support of his players, at least. “Willie ain’t playing. Willie ain’t out there getting scored on.
He ain’t missing shots. He ain’t turning the ball over,” McCollum said. “We’ve all got to be better.
” “I’m never going to look at my coach and be like, ‘It’s his fault,’” Murray added. “He never shows up to work wanting to lose or wanting guys to be out or wanting to have all these different lineups. .
.. I don’t care what the outside noise says, I always look at myself before I point at a coach.
” Along with Green, a lot of the fan frustration has been pointed at the star tandem of Williamson and Ingram after another year has been seemingly derailed by their injuries. Williamson’s hamstring injuries have been an ongoing issue early in his career. It cost him an opportunity to play in his first playoff series last season when he strained his left hamstring in a different spot during the Play-In Tournament.
Ingram has missed the last five games with what was initially called right calf soreness before the team started listing him with right plantaris tendonitis. Several members of the organization expected Ingram to return to the lineup ahead of Monday’s game in Atlanta and were surprised when he was ultimately ruled out less than an hour before tipoff. Ingram’s inability to play through certain ailments has been a source of frustration for some inside and outside the organization during his time in New Orleans.
It’s not completely fair because Ingram has been the one big-name player on the roster who has been healthy most of the season while just about everyone else was out. Advertisement Still, it can’t go unnoticed that once again the Pelicans are watching their season fall apart as Ingram and Williamson sit out with injuries. There was already urgency attached to this season because there was a strong belief that this would be the final season Ingram and Williamson play together due to Ingram’s pending unrestricted free agency next summer.
There are some within the Pelicans orbit who still believe this duo can do great things when they’re on the court together. Unfortunately, having them both healthy at the same time has been a rarity over the last six seasons. Ingram and Williamson both playing 60-plus games last season had some believing they turned a corner, but seeing both of them sidelined again only adds fuel for those who believe it’s time to try something new.
“Talent matters in the NBA . You want to be able to put your best players out there and have them play heavy minutes,” McCollum said. “It makes the game easier for everybody.
” The Pelicans are trying something new in pairing Murray and McCollum in the backcourt, a way to augment the Ingram-Williamson pairing. The results haven’t been nearly as good as they hoped early on. To be fair, they’ve only played four games together after Murray fractured his hand on opening night and McCollum strained his adductor a few games later.
Still, the Pels have been outscored by a whopping 44 points in the 111 minutes they’ve played together. Much of that has been propelled by Murray’s struggles early on in his first season with the Pels. In the four games he’s played since his return, he’s averaging 13 points and 5.
8 assists while shooting a lowly 27.3 percent from the floor. Those numbers will tick up as he gets more comfortable with his new teammates, but Murray’s inability to instantly impact New Orleans the way some hoped has made it even more difficult to believe there’s a drastic turnaround in this team’s future.
Advertisement “We’re getting better at play calls and just getting used to each other. This is our (fourth) game together. It takes time,” McCollum said.
“We’re (learning how to) fly the plane while we’re in the air. We’ve got to speed up our learning curve and keep getting better.” Things change quickly in the NBA, and the Pelicans are no stranger to making a late-season push after a poor start to the season.
It’s the path Green took in his first season with the Pelicans, going from a 2-14 start to becoming a playoff team. But in this Western Conference, that kind of magical run seems less likely by the day. There’s still time for Green and the Pelicans to turn the season around enough that it won’t be considered a complete dumpster fire.
They’ve got to turn things around quickly, though. If the product on the floor continues to look as uninspiring as it’s been recently, the optimism this team will get its act together will disappear. At that point, the pressure will fall on the front office to finally make the big changes for which some have been waiting.
But is that the path this team should be taking? “Losing ain’t good. Losing ain’t easy,” Murray said. “It comes down to being tough.
Having that identity of being a tough team. Being willing to guard, helping your brother (and) just playing together. We’re trying to figure it out.
” (Photo of Willie Green: Sam Hodde/Getty Images).
