Pelicans shootaround update: Defense has been most critical aspect of season turnaround

New Orleans possesses an arsenal of offensive threats every NBA team would be happy to have, including three 20-point scorers and a feared sixth man capable of explosive three-point shooting nights. But aside from key players returning from injury, the Pelicans’ in-season turnaround can most directly be traced to defensive performance – through 10 games, they had the league’s eighth-worst defense and started 4-6. Since then, that end of the floor has seen elite results, ranking No. 1 in efficiency (110.5 points allowed per 100 possessions, via NBA.com). New Orleans is 17-8 since Nov. 14, including an active four-game win streak. The Pelicans registered one of their most impressive wins of 2023-24 on Wednesday, becoming just the second road team to beat Minnesota in Target Center.

Asked about the club’s defense after Friday shootaround, center/forward Larry Nance Jr. indicated that mental dedication to that aspect of the game has yielded excellent outcomes.

“(It’s from) a level of care,” Nance said. “That’s all defense is in the NBA. If you have guys that actually care about getting stops, you will. We’re all good enough athletes. We’re all big enough, strong enough, fast enough, intelligent enough. We just have guys that care right now. Naji (Marshall), Jose (Alvarado), Herb (Jones), Dyson (Daniels) – our point-of-attack defenders make it easy on the rest of us.”

Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson have also been disruptive on defense lately, helping the Pelicans post a stellar, league-best defensive rating of 105.7 over their last four games.

“When your best players are playing defense, what reason do the rest of us have for getting beat?” Nance asked rhetorically. “They’re scoring 20 (points) a game, and playing defense? The rest of us need to be on our Ps and Qs. Just like everything with this team – it starts with (Ingram) and (Williamson). If they’re going to play at that level, then this team is going to be really, really good.”

Other notes from shootaround, ahead of Friday’s 7 p.m. home game vs. the Clippers:

Jones is 9/15 (60 percent) from three-point range during NOLA’s 4-0 stretch. Nance on Jones: “Herb’s been ridiculous. Scoring in transition is a huge key for us. We don’t have a lot of guys that get out on the break, so him leaking out and getting layups is great. Offensive rebounding he’s been big-time. Of course threes. His percentage and confidence on threes is a real weapon for us. The dude is shooting it not because he’s open; he’s shooting because he wants to shoot it. To me, that’s a major difference in making and missing shots.” …

Nance on facing the Clippers, who like the Pelicans are riding a four-game winning streak: “This is a team that is super hot right now, playing really well ever since James (Harden) got there. It’s going to be a good (game). Obviously we’re playing well too.”

Offensive efficiency rank: 8 (118.3)

Defensive efficiency rank: 13 (113.4)

Net rating rank: 6 (+4.8)

Streak: Won 4

Go-to guy: Four Clippers players have been perennial All-Stars, and two are past league MVPs (Russell Westbrook, Harden), but two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard is the unquestioned No. 1 option now that he’s returned to health and full strength. Leonard began 2023-24 sluggishly by his standards but averaged 29.3 points in nine December games (compared to 19.3 ppg in October, then 22.6 in November). “The Klaw” is also a fraction shy of a career high in three-point percentage (43.7 this season).

On the rise: Reserve wing Norman Powell has delivered many quality performances in his career vs. New Orleans, as was the case Nov. 24, when he deposited 20 points in 28 minutes of playing time. He was 3/5 from three-point range. Avid Pelicans fans may remember Powell had similar numbers in the 2022 play-in game at Crypto.com Arena against NOLA, with 17 points in only 24 minutes.

LA CLIPPERS (21-12)

Wednesday win at Phoenix

James Harden, Terance Mann, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac

Notes: This starting group is 14-3 this season. LA has only used six different starting lineups. Its next-most common combination is 0-5, with Westbrook at one of the guard spots instead of Mann. That led to Westbrook suggesting and getting a move to the second unit in mid-November. … The Clippers are in fourth place in the West, one game ahead of Sacramento (20-13) and New Orleans. The Pelicans lead the season series 1-0, with three meetings remaining (the others are Feb. 7 in Los Angeles, then March 15 in New Orleans).

NEW ORLEANS (21-14)

Wednesday win at Minnesota

CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Jonas Valanciunas

Notes: This starting group is 11-5 this season. NOLA has used 10 different starting lineups. … Trey Murphy (knee) is listed as questionable to play in Friday’s game. Matt Ryan (elbow) is out. … Murphy had not yet made his Dec. 1 season debut when the Pelicans prevailed on the Clippers’ home floor on Black Friday. McCollum was also sidelined by injury. Dyson Daniels started at one of the guard spots in the 116-106 triumph. … The Pelicans are sixth in the West, one game ahead of No. 7 Dallas (20-15).

THREE-POINT DEFENSE
LA is third in the NBA in three-point shooting percentage (38.5), led by four high-volume gunners who are at 40 percent or better individually (Powell 45.5, Leonard 43.7, Harden 43.3, George 40.2). It’s critical that New Orleans’ defense (fourth-best in three-point defense, just 33.6 percent allowed) limits the Clippers from beyond the arc. LA was just 11/37 (30 percent) in its Nov. 24 home loss to the Pelicans.
MATCHUP TO WATCH, PART I
LA’s defense likely will focus on trying to prevent Williamson and Ingram from experiencing a second straight big night against the Clippers. On Nov. 24 in Southern California, Williamson rolled to 32 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals, while Ingram had 30 points on 12/21 shooting. McCollum didn’t play Nov. 24 but adds another major concern for LA in Friday’s contest.
MATCHUP TO WATCH, PART II
Both benches have a series of contributors who can change a game. NOLA’s second unit made an impact in the Nov. 24 win over LA, but is in much better position to do damage now, because Alvarado has been back from injury for 21 games, and Nance is playing his best basketball of 2023-24. The Pelicans are unbeaten since Nance returned Dec. 28 vs. Utah. In addition, Marshall has 26 games under his belt and is shooting 37 percent on threes.