The NBA is a league that is always changing and evolving, and franchises are constantly forced to adapt to survive. The New Orleans Pelicans are a team not built for the current evolution of the NBA, which is focused on trying and making three-pointers. Until they adapt to this brand of basketball, they will continue to suffer disappointing losses just like Thursday night’s.
The team’s lack of three-point shooting has been evident all season, but it was extremely evident in the Pelicans’ 125-116 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Pelicans entered the fourth quarter with six made threes and had a 90-88 lead. To no one’s surprise, they blew this game when the Timberwolves outscored the Pelicans from the perimeter six to one in the fourth. At the end of the game, New Orleans had made only seven threes, and Minnesota had made fifteen. You can’t win a basketball game with a three-point difference like that.
The Pelicans are bottom five in both three-point attempts and goals per game this season, and until that changes, this team won’t win games consistently. To even have a chance to compete on any given night, the Pelicans must play impeccable basketball due to their lackluster shooting.
One player who can help solve this battle emerged tonight
Jeremiah Fears was phenomenal tonight, hitting two of the Pelicans’ seven three-pointers. The rookie finished the game with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Coming out of college, shooting was one of the biggest red flags on Fears’ scouting report, as he shot less than 30 percent from three during his time at Oklahoma. However, he has clearly made an effort to improve that aspect of his game, and it makes him even more of a versatile weapon for the Pelicans.
The unfortunate part is that both Fears’ threes came into play While he has shown consistency early on as someone who is confident in taking and making threes, it is still not a real part of his game. I hate to see organizations tinker with young players, especially when they find success just by playing their game. But the Pelicans are desperate, and it might be time for the coaching staff to step in and get Fears to take more threes.
Whether that happens or not, this game against Minnesota was a reminder of how young, smaller guards typically struggle early in their NBA careers. Just look at Rob Dillingham, who was practically unplayable. The second-year Timberwolves guard took rushing shots, made poor decisions as an initiator and struggled to defend without fouling, all things Fears already excels at.
So while a 3-20 loss is horrific, the bright side should be that the organization has at least found its franchise point guard in rookie Jeremiah Fears.
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