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Why are the New Orleans Pelicans so inconsistent?

By Will Osgood

Feb 6, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) and New Orleans Pelicans guard Tyreke Evans (1) celebrate after the game winning shot against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 6, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) and New Orleans Pelicans guard Tyreke Evans (1) celebrate after the game winning shot against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 23, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans head coach Monty Williams talks to forward Luke Babbitt (8) during the second half of a game against the Toronto Raptors at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Raptors 100-97. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 23, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans head coach Monty Williams talks to forward Luke Babbitt (8) during the second half of a game against the Toronto Raptors at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Raptors 100-97. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

Monty Williams the defensive coach

Near the end of last season–another disappointing one for a franchise which expected to make the playoffs after the splash offseason acquisitions of Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans–Monty Williams says he sought answers in the form of legendary women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt, the brilliant leader of the Tennessee Lady Vols for decades.

“She was talking about playing defense with both your head and your feet, and I thought that was such a perfect analogy that I could relate to our guys.”

But that’s far from the only time Williams has ever been vocal about his own team’s defense. It’s a common note in the fifth-year head coach’s press conferences.

In Williams’ first season in New Orleans as head coach, he took over a talented team led by Chris Paul and David West, who had forgotten how to play defense under former Byron Scott.

Restoring some sense of pride on that end of the floor was Williams’ first order of business upon taking the job in New Orleans, after spending time as an assistant coach in Portland and San Antonio after a nine-year playing career in the NBA.

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    • He did that successfully, engineering a massive turnaround in the then-Hornets’ defensive effort and efficiency. New Orleans finished the year 46-36, good for third in the Southwest Division, after starting the season 9-0, which is still the best start in franchise history.

    It was largely due to the team’s fifth-ranked defense in terms of point allowed per game, giving up exactly 94 a ballgame. But a closer look, even at that season paints a slightly different picture, one which still ruminates to Williams’ team in 2015.

    The Hornets’ DRtg that season was 105.2, or in common English, the Hornets gave up 105 points per every 100 defensive possessions. That was still good for 10th in the NBA during the 2010-11 season.

    The larger issue is that Hornets masked an average defense by playing at the league’s second slowest pace, registering just 88.7 possessions per game. In fact, under Williams the Hornets-Pelicans have never ranked higher than 22nd in possessions per game, and that was last season.

    This year, they are right back at 29th in the league. The difference is that this current outfit ranks 26th in DRtg, a far cry from 10th.

    Next: The Mentor and Model

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