Are the Pelicans the Most Overlooked Team? | The Mismatch | The Ringer

Are the Pelicans the Most Overlooked Team? | The Mismatch | The Ringer

Yeah if they really if they really want a a chance of winning at all I think they got to make then I know they have to make some moves I know they Do the most disrespected by the odds makers are the Pelicans could you foresee a circumstance where they have moved themselves up they are fifth in the standings right now so they aren’t that far off from being able to have be homec court advantage where are we in terms of uh Kevin o

Pelicin how are we feeling towards the uh the Beloved team is confidence growing is confidence high or is confidence wavering I mean confidence is definitely not wavering that’s that’s for sure it’s not wavering one bit um I mean iion had a play against lamelo ball the other night the Pelicans team account tweeted

It out where he just like completely locked down against lamelo defending him in isolation and it’s like this is the way like this is what this is what you g to do put put in this effort and and you get a chance to to be the best possible

Version of yourself and he’s been amazing lately granted Ingram until that game against the Hornets you know had fallen off recently I think the Pelicans need to make a move I think they got a consolid maybe trade one of their young pieces and some of their picks and look for

Upgrades um I think they need to make a move I think they need a point guard yeah if they really if they really want a a chance of winning at all I think they got to make then I know they have to make some moves I know they do um but

Um it’s a matter of how much do they want to rush it versus waiting until another year but like we’re talking about going for it that’s a bet on Zion’s health is Zion going to get healthier is Zion going to be as healthy as he seems right now even though he’s

Still not in the shape that you’d want him to be in is this as good as it’s gonna get they are the highest like ceiling floor too because I could see them drawing somebody in the playoffs it just being a horrendous matchup for somebody oh for sure like the

Kingsy on the other for sure and on the other hand you could see somebody being a horrendous match up for them like there are times where they look like the best team and then there are times where it’s like what the hell this doesn’t fit you know they’ve got the most variance to

Me in terms of what I could see as their possible outcomes you know but I think you know that Midway point of the Season you usually got a pretty good read on a lot of these teams and and it will change dependent on moves and I think there’s

Some of these teams that will for sure uh improve there’s some of these teams that for sure declin but you’ve got a I think we’ve got a pretty good measure of what they are I don’t know I you could tell me that team’s gonna end ninth or

10th or you could tell me they’re gonna end third and neither of which would make me go what just I don’t know I don’t know what to make of it I also think they needed they need to uh tweak their style a little bit too because they’re 27th in

The NBA in three-pointers attempted per game but number three in percentage they have Trey Murphy and Jordan Hawkins two of the best Shooters in all of basketball and Trey Murphy like should be taking nine threes a game Jordan Hawkins doesn’t even play every night and when he does he’s taking five or six

Threes a game Hawkins should be taking nine threes a game as well I I just think they got to be feeding those guys even more touches even more minutes to just get the most out of what is one of the most efficient plays for them in the

Half court which is simply these 40% knockdown movement Shooters taking a three out of actions with Zion is drawing too or Ingram is isoing or C.J mccollum’s running pick and roll get those guys more more three-pointers in my opinion that’s huge for them yeah because there’s a lot of four guys that

Don’t shoot it from any distance and so you then becomes 80s pack it in and that’s why I say you know they’re just going to Pummel you if you’re small um like you were talking about with the Kings thing they’re gonna Pummel you for being small because

You’re just never going to get the ball and they could two-point you to death but there’s times where it’s like Ingram Zion herb Jones and valent Tunis and it’s like okay who’s shooting CJ you got one guy out there that’s going to be stretching it out for you and the rest

Of the stuff is taking place from the elbow down for the most part um that’s why I think that those those spacer guys when they augment their lineups you know they so many times they just look so much better it’s better B creating his face yeah well because it also creates the space

For Ingram is as good scoring individually as there is I don’t give a what a number says I don’t care about isos or what I’m talking about I put him I put a defender on him he’s one of those guys where I’m like all right

This guy’s a bucket like the degree of difficulty of the shots the way he so tall and could lean back and hit him it’s he really is like a bootleg KD it’s something to behold cuz it’s all jumpers too it’s all jumpers and it’s just dude is Wet

The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor and Chris Vernon discuss the Pelicans and how they will finish the rest of the season.

Check out the Bill Simmons YouTube channel: youtube.com/billsimmons

Subscribe to The Ringer on YouTube: http://therin.gr/5te1wFL

CONNECT
Shop: https://theringer.com/shop
Website: http://theringer.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ringer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ringer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ringer
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT83YP07yVuaH9J19YABhlw