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Jim Eichenhofer

Rarely do NBA teams retain a similar roster even in back-to-back seasons, but the New Orleans Pelicans have been an outlier, relying on nearly the exact same primary cast over each of the past three campaigns. The result has been a steady progression in the Western Conference standings, going from 36 to 42 to 49 victories since Willie Green took over as head coach in 2021-22.

While Crescent City basketball fans have become exceptionally familiar with the nine or 10 faces in Green’s nightly rotation, it’s possible that could change a bit this summer. Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin said during Tuesday’s exit interviews that the franchise needed to get a deeper assessment of what the roster was capable of amid a longer stretch of health before moving forward. Improved availability of key players allowed the front office to make more significant evaluations – Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum logged 737 minutes together, for example – compared to previous seasons.

“I think in the past we’ve always erred on the side of continuity,” Griffin said, “and our takeaway has always been ‘Let’s see this group healthy.’ (Now) I think we’ve seen this group enough. We had a really good opportunity to see Zion play a career high in games (with 70). We saw it for segments of time well enough to understand that we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Griffin cited the challenge of competing in the tough Western Conference, which increases the demands on what it will take to be successful. For instance, the Pelicans’ 49-33 record would’ve been good enough for a No. 3 seed in the East, but in the West, they had to beat Sacramento in a play-in elimination game just to qualify for the playoffs as a No. 8 seed.

“Because it is a historically good Western Conference, there are teams that didn’t make the playoffs that are going to get radically better this offseason,” Griffin said, alluding to squads like Sacramento and Golden State finishing 10 games over .500. “We need to do the same. I think you’ll see a real sense of urgency from all of us to do that.”

Looking back at the regular season, New Orleans finished tied for the second-most wins in franchise history. However, that was followed by a 4-0 sweep to Oklahoma City that sent the Pelicans into the offseason on a sour note. Griffin noted the two divergent ways to examine the just-completed season.

“I think the 49 wins are something that would’ve led you to believe we’d be playing deep into the (playoffs) at times,” Griffin said. “For very large chunks of the season, we had the second-best net rating in the league and if not for Boston, we would’ve looked like the best team in the league. I also think we had stretches where you could see we had a lot of room for growth and improvement we needed to make.

“Unfortunately we continued to have injury issues, and certainly had a big one at the wrong time (Williamson’s left hamstring strain, causing him to sit out the playoffs). But there are so many positives we take out of the season. It’s really unfortunate the season ended in the way it did. You’d like the season to crescendo into a moment that lets everybody know how good your season really was. We had the No. 1 road record in the NBA. We were sixth in defensive rating, sixth in net rating. We had moments where we really showed what we could be, but we did it often in fits and starts, which is disappointing.”

Part of the Pelicans’ recent roster continuity has stemmed from savvy drafting of contributors such as Trey Murphy and Herb Jones with the No. 17 and No. 35 overall picks, respectively, in 2022. Those kinds of players should put New Orleans in better position to be successful long term, but Griffin indicated that the time is now for the Pelicans to make another jump in the West.

“Our foundation and our nucleus is really good,” Griffin said. “You come out of a (playoff) series where a really, really good (Oklahoma City) team sort of waylays you, and makes you think you won nine games, and not 49 games. The reality is we won 49 games and did a lot of good things.

“We’ll take a lot of time to go through (evaluations) as a group… but I want to be really, really clear: This is not going to be a summer of complacency. It’s time to get better.”

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David Griffin says Pelicans will show urgency to improve this offseason

With loud music blaring from nearby speakers and basketballs bouncing behind him, it’s sometimes difficult to even hear Brandon Ingram’s lowkey, heavy-bass voice when he’s interviewed inside the Ochsner Sports Performance Center on practice days. Following Monday’s 97-89 season-ending loss to Oklahoma City, however, no one needed to lean in close to understand Ingram’s message inside the Smoothie King Center. The eight-year NBA veteran forward may not have even needed a microphone as he delivered an animated response to what just took place, capturing the disappointment he felt. Over a roughly eight-month period, the 26-year-old went from a challenging stint with USA Basketball at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, to closing his fifth season in New Orleans with a knee injury that sidelined him, to struggling mightily in his second career NBA playoff trip. Ingram finished the Thunder series well below his statistical norms across the board (14.3 ppg, 35 percent from the field, 25 percent on threes), a factor in the Pelicans being swept 4-0.

“I’ll be honest,” Ingram said. “This was, from USA up to this season, probably the worst I’ve been in a New Orleans Pelicans uniform. I’m motivated by that. I can go back and blame coaches, I can blame everybody else but myself, but I’ve got to go look myself in the mirror and tell myself what I can do to really help this team, how can I help the coaches, and how do I get the fans in New Orleans to believe in us again? That’s my job, that’s my task. That’s what I’ll be thinking about over the summer. Come back (next season) and leave it all on the line. If I do that, and come up short, or if I win the whole thing, I’ll know I did everything I could to be who I want to be.”

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Brandon Ingram | Pelicans vs. Thunder 2024 NBA Playoffs Game 4 Postgame

Over first three-fourths of the regular season, Ingram was at the top of the list of reasons behind why the Pelicans posted their best record in 15 years (49-33, tying the 2008-09 club). New Orleans came within a whisker of notching the second 50-win campaign in franchise history, dropping Game 82 on April 14 vs. the Lakers, a game for which Ingram returned from a 3.5-week absence due to a left knee bone contusion.

After averaging 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists, while playing in 63 of NOLA’s first 69 games, Ingram had a 12-game DNP stretch with the injury. The Pelicans endured a costly 1-5 homestand during that span, contributing to a fall in the Western Conference standings from contender for a top-four seed to ultimately needing to advance from the play-in tournament and landing the No. 8 seed in the playoffs. That meant a Round 1 date vs. top-seeded Oklahoma City, which effectively shut down the Pelicans’ offense and their top available scorers (Ingram and CJ McCollum; Zion Williamson was out with a hamstring injury).

During his seven total games back in uniform, Ingram didn’t look like he had the same explosiveness from earlier in 2023-24, including passing up opportunities in Monday’s loss to dribble by a defender on a fast break, or tentatively pivoting near the paint on a key fourth-quarter possession, then tossing a crosscourt feed to a teammate. Asked about the impact of the knee injury on his performance, Ingram declined to blame it.

“I played. I don’t think it’s a great time to make excuses about my physical appearance,” he said. “I played. I just came up short. I wasn’t able to catch a rhythm. Maybe it was due to my body. But I was out there, trying to play aggressive, trying to get my teammates involved and trying to be the best I could be.”

Ingram was outstanding in the team’s 2022 playoff series vs. Phoenix, averaging 27.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists, as New Orleans gave the No. 1 seed everything it could handle before losing 4-2. He wasn’t able to follow up that stellar performance two years later with something similar, a development he vows to use during his offseason workouts and preparation for 2024-25.

“Start working out and figure out everything I need to work on,” Ingram said of his plan. “Even coming back from injury, (to make sure) that I won’t have a playoff series like this. Every summer I’ve been motivated.

“What happened is going to fuel me to be better. I’ll always remember this moment. It can only make me better.”

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Brandon Ingram: Disappointing end to season will fuel motivation this summer

Pelicans.com

The New Orleans Pelicans 2023/24 season came to a close on April 29 as the Pelicans fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 97-89. The ended their first round series having been swept 4-0 by the number one seed in the Western Conference. Read the postgame wrap.

Guard CJ McCollum paced the Pelicans in points for Game 4, finishing the contest with 20 points. See highlights of McCollum's performance.

After the game, coach Willie Green, forward Brandon Ingram and McCollum all spoke with the media.

The Pelicans will conduct their exit interviews later in the day. Stay tuned for live interviews starting at 12 p.m. with Green and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin.

Afterwards, players will speak with the media. Videos of their interviews will be available on Pelicans.com.

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5 things to know about the Pelicans on April 30, 2024

Check out our daily collection of Pelicans news and notes from local and national reporters around the Internet on April 30, 2024

Thunder 97, Pelicans 89: Jonas Valanciunas 19 points | Game 4 postgame wrap

Shooting struggles and turnovers hampered New Orleans throughout its entire first-round series vs. Oklahoma City. The latter came back to haunt the Pelicans on Monday at the most inopportune time. The Thunder capitalized on critical mistakes by the home team in crunch time, turning a close game into a double-digit lead, finishing off a sweep over the No. 8 seed.

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Game 4 Postgame Quotes | 2024 NBA Playoffs

Oklahoma City Thunder at New Orleans Pelicans Game 4 postgame quotes during Round 1 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs from head coach Willie Green and players on Monday, April 29, 2024.

Pelicans' season comes to end with humbling series sweep against Thunder

One of the most successful regular seasons in New Orleans Pelicans history resulted in zero playoff wins.

On Monday, the Pelicans’ season came to an end in a 97-89 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Smoothie King Center.

Rod Walker: Brandon Ingram owned his subpar play vs. OKC, but Pelicans needed him to own series

R.I.P. to the New Orleans Pelicans' season.

And that stands for way more than just Rest In Peace.

NBA playoffs: Thunder push ahead late to beat Pelicans, complete series sweep

It wasn't a great outing Monday night, but the Oklahoma City Thunder got the job done.

The Thunder are now headed into the Western Conference semifinals for the first time in nearly a decade.

Williams, Gilgeous-Alexander, lead OKC to a 97-89 Game 4 victory -- and sweep of the Pelicans

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — For all the scoring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander does for Oklahoma City, his hustle back on defense after having a shot blocked was a pivotal part of a playoff series-clinching victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

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Pelicans News Around the Web 4/30/24

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Willie Green | Pelicans vs. Thunder 2024 NBA Playoffs Game 4 Postgame

“I loved our fight and the way we battled tonight. That's a special group in that locker room, and what I told them is that there's no other group that we would rather get on that floor and compete with than that group. They poured it out tonight. Unfortunately, we came up short. Give Oklahoma credit: they're a tough team and they played a good, solid all-around game and it came down to the wire. They made some plays down the stretch.”

On Naji Marshall and Jonas Valančiūnas’ performances tonight:

“Yeah, they’ve been good all season. Naji (Marshall) – his toughness, his grit – guarding guys, making plays, making shots. JV (Jonas Valančiūnas’) rebounding – we could throw the ball into him, trying to create some offense. So, both of those guys were really good tonight. Unfortunately, like I said we came up short.”

“They capitalized on some turnovers and honestly some baskets that we just missed that led to transition opportunities for them, and that's the difference in the game. Our margin for error is small. This is a team that turns you over. The last few games we turned the ball over and they capitalized on it.”

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CJ McCollum | Pelicans vs. Thunder 2024 NBA Playoffs Game 4 Postgame

“He’s good, he’s young, he’s athletic, he’s smart, and he protects the rim well. Obviously, JV (Jonas Valančiūnas) gave him some fits down there at times, but you always have to be aware of where he is at. He has a very bright future.”

“It’s tough. I think we had a really good season. Obviously [we] had some woes and a lot of injuries, with guys in and out of the lineup. Getting 49 wins and having to battle to get into the playoffs, then obviously Z (Zion Williamson) went down. We got swept, but I thought we competed. Outside of the turnovers and some of those

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Shooting struggles and turnovers hampered New Orleans throughout its entire first-round series vs. Oklahoma City. The latter came back to haunt the Pelicans on Monday at the most inopportune time. The Thunder capitalized on critical mistakes by the home team in crunch time, turning a close game into a double-digit lead, finishing off a sweep over the No. 8 seed. Oklahoma City went on a 15-2 run to help close out the victory. Neither team could gain control for much of the first three quarters before OKC sealed the outcome. The Pelicans finished with just 22 assists against 19 turnovers, barely posting a positive assist-to-turnover ratio for the first time since Game 1.

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Jonas Valanciunas Game 4 Highlights vs. Oklahoma City Thunder | 2024 NBA Playoffs

The Knife and JV.Naji Marshall and Jonas Valanciunas were undisputed positives from what turned out to be the Pelicans’ season finale. Marshall was often the team’s most productive player and showed up at both ends of the floor all game, finishing with 16 points in 22 minutes off the bench. He shot 4/7 from three-point range on a night when New Orleans needed all of the help it could get in that category. Valanciunas did his damage in the paint, frequently going head-up against Chet Holmgren and rolling to 19 points and 13 rebounds, in a modest 26 minutes.Defensive battle.New Orleans did not produce a quality offensive performance all series, but the difference Monday was that Oklahoma City also misfired on open shots, making Game 4 significantly more competitive and compelling than the prior two matchups. The Thunder only shot 43 percent from the field and 30 percent on threes, but that still bested the Pelicans (38 and 24). OKC also had a bad night at the foul line (15 of 24, 63 percent). NOLA’s problem was it generated 22 points or less in three separate quarters, including just 18 in the fourth.Another step, but a tough ending.New Orleans has gone from 36 to 42 to 49 wins over the past three regular season, showing tangible progress that has also somewhat tracked incrementally to Zion Williamson’s availability during that span (0 to 29 to 70 regular season appearances). The Pelicans undoubtedly have made major improvements while going from a play-in team amid a down West field in 2022, to coming within a whisker of a top-six seed in 2024. Still, in the playoffs New Orleans did not resemble the team that tied the second-best record in franchise history (49-33) from October to mid-April. Williamson’s left hamstring strain prevented him from making his NBA playoff debut.

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Naji Marshall Game 4 Highlights vs. Oklahoma City Thunder | 2024 NBA Playoffs

10: New Orleans steals, an improvement from prior games, part of OKC’s 14 turnovers. Jose Alvarado led the Pelicans with three thefts.50-44: Pelicans rebounding edge on Thunder. New Orleans couldn't fully capitalize on being more effective in this category for much of the series.3:43: Rookie Jordan Hawkins’ minutes, after he had not been in the rotation during the first three games of the series.

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green speaks to the media following the team's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 of Round 1 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram speaks to the media following the team's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 of Round 1 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum speaks to the media following the team's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 of Round 1 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

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Photos: Pelicans vs. Thunder Game 4 | 2024 NBA Playoffs

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Photos: Pelicans vs. Thunder Game 4 Fans and Entertainment | 2024 NBA Playoffs

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Photos: Pelicans vs. Thunder Game 4 Pregame | 2024 NBA Playoffs

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A New Orleans team that ranked fourth in three-point shooting percentage during the regular season has not been making perimeter shots at anywhere near the same rate in the playoffs. A Pelicans club that placed just outside the NBA’s top 10 in offensive efficiency is struggling mightily to even approach that level of performance in a best-of-seven series vs. Oklahoma City.

Trailing 3-0 to the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed, the eighth-seeded Pelicans likely need a breakthrough offensive performance in Monday’s Game 4 (7:30 p.m., Bally Sports, NBA TV, WRNO 99.5 FM, KGLA 105.7 FM) to keep their season alive. They’re shooting just 40.3 percent from the field and 27.8 percent on three-pointers against Oklahoma City. Those figures were both roughly 10 percent higher during the 82-game schedule (48.6 from field, 38.3 on threes).

“We expect those shots to go in, because we shoot so many at practice,” starting wing Herb Jones said after Monday’s shootaround. “Even after practice. Once we see a couple guys’ shots fall, I think that will help us.”

The Pelicans made one recent adjustment to try to improve their shooting in the Blender, moving shootaround there on the morning of the play-in tournament victory over Sacramento. They returned to the home floor again Monday morning. New Orleans couldn’t hold a shootaround Saturday before Game 3 vs. Oklahoma City, due to it being a 2:30 p.m. tip-off.

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Herb Jones | Pelicans vs. Thunder Game 4 Shootaround | 2024 NBA Playoffs

Asked if the Pelicans are content with the quality of shots they’re getting in the playoffs, Jones said, “They are open shots – we love them.” Unfortunately for New Orleans, it has been held under 30 percent from three-point distance in all three games. The Pelicans did not have any stretches of three straight games under 30 percent during the entire regular season. In fact, they only did it in two consecutive games once, and that was all the way back in October. …

In addition to poor shooting, turnovers have decimated NOLA’s ability to put together offensive spurts. Jones on the miscues: “We can do a better job of taking care of the ball. Some of it is the Thunder (defense). We can cut down on the ones that we can control.”

Josh Giddey, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren

Notes: Oklahoma City is reporting no injuries. … The Thunder have been led in scoring in this series by Gilgeous-Alexander (28.3 ppg), Williams (20.3) and Holmgren (15.7). … Oklahoma City is trying to win its first playoff series since 2016, when it reached the West finals, losing in seven games to Golden State. That Game 7 was Kevin Durant’s final appearance in a Thunder uniform.

CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy, Jonas Valanciunas

Notes: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (ankle) is questionable. Zion Williamson (hamstring) is out. … The Pelicans have been led in scoring by McCollum (17.0 ppg), Ingram (16.3) and Jones (13.7). … New Orleans has been a No. 8 seed in each of its last two playoff appearances. The Pelicans were sixth-seeded during their most recent playoff-series triumph (first-round sweep over Portland in 2018).

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Pelicans vs Thunder Game 4 HYPE | 2024 NBA Playoffs

YOU GOTTA FIGHTThose were among Willie Green’s words to his team during a memorable 2022 late-game speech, leading to the Pelicans coming from behind to beat the Clippers in a play-in elimination game, advancing to the playoffs. New Orleans is missing its most talented player vs. Oklahoma City due to injury, and with the season at stake, must outperform the Thunder in energy, effort and hustle plays Monday.PLAYMAKINGPerhaps the most drastic area of needed improvement for New Orleans is assist-to-turnover ratio, which has been in negative in consecutive games, a development that’s nearly impossible to overcome against any NBA opponent, but particularly a 57-win squad such as OKC. The Pelicans recorded only 18 assists in Game 3, compared to 21 costly turnovers (in Game 2, it was 16 to 18).MATCHUP TO WATCHUnless New Orleans can generate significantly better offensive production, it will need to lean even more on its defense. All-Defense candidate Jones and the Pelicans have done a decent job on Gilgeous-Alexander so far in the series, with the MVP candidate shooting 51 percent from the field and just 31 percent on three-pointers. He has one 30-point game among the three. Jones at shootaround on SGA: “He can score at all three levels. Very smart player. He knows when to attack. It makes it tough on the defense, a guy who wants to get downhill a lot.”

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Pelicans shootaround update: New Orleans needs major uptick in offensive performance vs. OKC

On the latest New Orleans Pelicans Podcast from Monday, April 29, 2024, Jim Eichenhofer and Gus Kattengell discuss the possible adjustments for the Pelicans heading into a must-win Game 4 vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder.

They'll preview tonight's game as they take a look at how NBA rosters are being built across the league and what the playoff teams have been doing to develop their players.

Later, Jim gives his picks for tonight's playoff action around the NBA.

LISTEN ABOVE OR CLICK HERE FOR FULL PODCAST >>

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