8th November - New Orleans Pelicans VS Toronto Raptors - 1-6

[Pelicanidae]

It's getting quite painful.

7 games in, almost 10% of the season gone, and we have yet to get our 2nd win, which is just sad, to me. I shed tears over it nightly. Joking. Mostly.

Let's look at our team so far, statistically, per game:

Offensive Rating: 110 (6th in the NBA)
Defensive Rating: 114.6 (29th)
Rebounds: 45.1 (27th)
Assists: 28 (9th)
Steals: 8.9 (11th)
Blocks: 5 (19th)

So what does that translate to? Well, lots of losses. We aren't quite a top 5 offense, but we are teetering on the edge of being the worst defense in the entire NBA. We are bottom 5 in rebounds, and the only stat we crack the top 10 in aside from ORtg is assists: where we're 9th. You know things are going weird when the Pelicans are barely a top 10 assists team. Last season, we were 3rd, and the year before that, 3rd again. Now, in fairness, 28 assists a game is still a lot of assists: in fact, it's more per-game than we had last year. Our fall in the ranks isn't because we're passing less, it's because everyone else is passing more. But it's still not where we want to be. Top 5 again should be the goal.

Favors should be back tonight, so hopefully he can chip in on the boards and do some work to prevent us getting outrebounded by the Raptors, who aren't that much better than us on the boards, falling at 23rd in the NBA themselves. We have a chance to really try and win this rebounding battle tonight. Obviously boards aren't the only thing that matters, but it's not entirely a coincidence that we have 1 win, and that's the only game where we won the rebounding battle.

The Raptors are our opponents tonight. We've already played them once this year, at opening night, where we almost won. It was a close game that we lost in overtime.

What we need to change from that game is kind of easy to say. Siakam put up 34/18/5 on us. We can't let him do that again. VanVleet put up 34 as well. Can't let him do that either. If we can pull together defensively even just a little bit with the return of Favors, this game is winnable despite the drastic difference in the W/L columns.

I'm looking for the team to recognise that what they've been doing so far just isn't good enough, and to come in like a house of fire. If they can do that, and push this to a close one (or even get that W!) I'll be happy. Let's go out and get the win. #WBD

[pelafanatic]

Lets all agree to focus on the good tonight. Hopefully we see Ingram continue to dominate, Jrue get back into a rhythm, Frank continue to become a more and more expensive microwave, and NAW and Jax with meaningful contributions.

[Pelicanidae]

Lonzo said he will play tonight vs the Raptors.

He was listed as probable with a Right Adductor Strain#WontBowDown

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 8, 2019

[Pelicanidae]

Lets all agree to focus on the good tonight. Hopefully we see Ingram continue to dominate, Jrue get back into a rhythm, Frank continue to become a more and more expensive microwave, and NAW and Jax with meaningful contributions.

I'm hoping that with Favors back (that is, a big who actually prospers in the Pick and Roll) we can actually run some more PnR tonight

We've run some of it, but not nearly enough.

Ingram last year was in the 44th percentile of all players as PnR ballhandler. So far this year, he's been 92nd!!!! percentile in the same stat. He's more than doubled his effectiveness in the pick and roll. That's an insane leap, to the point where even if he regresses a good chunk (which is totally possible) he would still end up around the 80th percentile, which is very good. Among all players with at least as many PnR ball handler possessions as he's had, he's 3rd in efficiency. He's been really good in that set up, and we haven't really had a dedicated expert-PnR big so far.

Favors is an incredibly good PnR big. If he's legitimately back healthy, then a good way to provide looks at the rim (which is where we've suffered a lot) is to put Ingram and Favors in the pick and roll together. That seems like a good way to produce reliable at-rim offense. Hopefully we actually try it

[Snarly]

This game is important to me. I want to see how much they’ve learned playing a team they lost to the second time around.

[JJackisangry]

You absolutely do not want to fall 1-7, 1-8. Anything more than a 5 game deficit is very hard to make up regardless of the talent you possess. Make it a point to win tonight and make this season a bit more manageable. Don’t dig an even bigger hole here.

[Fedupfan]

I just want to see them act like they care on defense.

[Pelicanidae]

I just want to see them act like they care on defense.

That's my view. I can't demand we win (even though I think it's possible) because sometimes things just don't fall your way. Maybe we cover all of their shooters and they just hit anyway. It happens. Maybe we get good open looks but there's a lid on the rim. Happens.

But I'll be absolutely damned if they spend this game looking like they're not even interested.

This isn't an old, veteran team worn down after 70 games just plodding to the finish line. This is a young, spry team not even a month into the season. There's no excuse for not caring.

[Fedupfan]

That's my view. I can't demand we win (even though I think it's possible) because sometimes things just don't fall your way. Maybe we cover all of their shooters and they just hit anyway. It happens. Maybe we get good open looks but there's a lid on the rim. Happens.

But I'll be absolutely damned if they spend this game looking like they're not even interested.

This isn't an old, veteran team worn down after 70 games just plodding to the finish line. This is a young, spry team not even a month into the season. There's no excuse for not caring.

Some kind of way Alvin has to get them motivated. The vets are the ones that have looked the least interested at points of the game. No sense of urgency at all. I get that this year isn’t about making a playoff run or any of that, but to show up and look defeated before the tip off is what has gotten me concerned with everything from top to bottom.

[pelafanatic]

They all care man this is such a dumb argument that I continue to see people making. Its not that they dont care or that theyre disengaged. These are players that have never played together before so theyre a step slow in all of their decision making. You can see it on the backdoor cuts that its not natural to them yet because they don't know where their help is. If you watched the Spurs for years, their cohesiveness allowed them to play on a string defensively where everyone was on the same page. The pels are the exact opposite of that right now, but I expect it to improve some tonight after three full days off.

[JJackisangry]

They all care man this is such a dumb argument that I continue to see people making. Its not that they dont care or that theyre disengaged. These are players that have never played together before so theyre a step slow in all of their decision making. You can see it on the backdoor cuts that its not natural to them yet because they don't know where their help is. If you watched the Spurs for years, their cohesiveness allowed them to play on a string defensively where everyone was on the same page. The pels are the exact opposite of that right now, but I expect it to improve some tonight after three full days off.

It’s not a dumb argument at all. You see people disengaged on the defensive end all the time. You can argue as to why, but it is a fair argument. There have been times where we have just been sluggish.

[13 - 3]

The Zion banner is back up on the garage! Guess they scratched the E’Twaun Moore marketing campaign.

[Fedupfan]

It’s not a dumb argument at all. You see people disengaged on the defensive end all the time. You can argue as to why, but it is a fair argument. There have been times where we have just been sluggish.

Yeah. It’s very obvious that they aren’t giving good effort at times. I mean chemistry is important but just standing still and not contesting shots or getting in position is clearly effort.

[Pelicanidae]

It’s not a dumb argument at all. You see people disengaged on the defensive end all the time. You can argue as to why, but it is a fair argument. There have been times where we have just been sluggish.

Yeah, I honestly don't see how someone can have watched all 7 games so far and concluded that everyone is giving full effort on defense all the time. We've had moments where guys have sunk back into the lane, seen their guy load up for a three, and not even bother taking a single step in their direction.

''Hope they miss so you can get the rebound'' is a bold defensive strategy, but not one that I think anyone would argue is a great one.

[kidjock24]

The team is showing progress, hopefully they continue playing good entertaining basketball. We just gotta be patient and we also know Zion is back in a month.

[pelafanatic]

Yeah, I honestly don't see how someone can have watched all 7 games so far and concluded that everyone is giving full effort on defense all the time. We've had moments where guys have sunk back into the lane, seen their guy load up for a three, and not even bother taking a single step in their direction.

''Hope they miss so you can get the rebound'' is a bold defensive strategy, but not one that I think anyone would argue is a great one.

Full effort on defense at all times is very different than saying players don't care.

Fine with the argument that the effort isnt 100% there because I totally agree. I think its an issue with conditioning as well. But to say players don't care is extremely far fetched. This is a team that has high expectations; if they didn't care 7 games in then that would be extremely concerning.

If you meant effort wasn't 100% then I agree and was just confused about wording.

[Pelicanidae]

Full effort on defense at all times is very different than saying players don't care.

Fine with the argument that the effort isnt 100% there because I totally agree. I think its an issue with conditioning as well. But to say players don't care is extremely far fetched. This is a team that has high expectations; if they didn't care 7 games in then that would be extremely concerning.

If you meant effort wasn't 100% then I agree and was just confused about wording.

Yeah, I mean, you're right maybe I should be a clearer.

I don't know what the guys actually feel in their hearts. Maybe they do care a lot, and that probably is the case for at least some of them.

But they're not playing like they care. They're playing like they can't really be bothered half of the time, and that's not good enough. If they really do care, then they need to start showing it.

[pelafanatic]

I think this is a win tonight given all of the surrounding circumstances. Pels are coming off of 3 full days of rest and practice. The Raptors are about to start a west coast road trip where they play the LA teams on Sunday and Monday and Portland Wednesday. I expect them to go deep into the bench tonight.

[GuardianAngel25]

They all care man this is such a dumb argument that I continue to see people making. Its not that they dont care or that theyre disengaged. These are players that have never played together before so theyre a step slow in all of their decision making. You can see it on the backdoor cuts that its not natural to them yet because they don't know where their help is. If you watched the Spurs for years, their cohesiveness allowed them to play on a string defensively where everyone was on the same page. The pels are the exact opposite of that right now, but I expect it to improve some tonight after three full days off.

100% dead on!! Thank you!! Such a dumb argument to act like Jrue doesn’t care and blah blah but people on this board just care so much more lol. These guys literally spend their entire life practicing as some of the most competitive people in the world to go do their job and win. Missing shots and having shots being drained on you has nothing to do with not caring. This idea that fans care more then these players has to come from never playing a sport.. Had we won a few of those very close games all the sudden this team cares lol

[AusPel]

I just want to see them act like they care on defense.

Like we did against Denver

[Pelicanidae]

Just to back up the ''we need to play better defense, please for the love of God'' arguments:

Game 1 Defensive Rating: 115.2
Game 2: 119.6
Game 3: 111.9
Game 4: 119.5
Game 5: 104.1 [OUR ONLY WIN]
Game 6: 113.6
Game 7: 119.0

We have only managed a defensive rating under 110 once in the first 7 games, and unsurprisingly, it's the one game we won.

[Pelicanidae]

Gentry says “I don’t think so” for any minutes restrictions for these guys. Possibly for Derrick Favors, says he has to check with training staff. https://t.co/q66rwer0bu

— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) November 8, 2019

Seems like everyone will be good to go.

[Fedupfan]

Like we did against Denver

Exactly!

[Pelicanidae]

Just a bit of trivia from the last time we played the Raptors

Pascal Siakam in the season opener vs Pelicans, per NBA dot com:

Jrue Holiday guarding him: 0 pts, 4 assts, 0-6 FGs
Rest of the Pels guarding him: 32 points, 4 assts, 10-20 FGs

— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) November 9, 2019

[Pelicanidae]

Tonight's #Pelicans starters!

vs Raptors@FOXSportsNOLA - 7 pm CT #WontBowDown pic.twitter.com/5Btlynh1iC

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 9, 2019

Running with Ingram back at the 3 this time, which I think is generally the right choice, and Melli starting at the 4.