Halftime...Kind Of

Dylan Mckneely • February 19, 2024

"You're saying we are eleven games over .500, and I'm saying we've got to learn how to maintain leads. So, if we were able to maintain leads, we'd probably be fourteen, fifteen, or sixteen games over .500. So I think we are in an okay spot, but when we come back from break, we've got to be able to fine-tune some of the small nuances of the game." This quote by Zion Williamson is the perfect overview of the pre-All-Star break Pelicans. Blown leads fundamental mind lapses, yet still good enough to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference. More than halfway through the season, the Pelicans are one of the more challenging teams in the league to understand because some of their biggest strengths can also be their biggest weakness, depending on the night. Experiencing exhilarating highs (see 30+ point back-to-back victories over the Kings and Warriors) and debilitating lows (see 20+ point back-to-back losses to Thunder and Bucks), the season thus far has us asking one question:" Would the real New Orleans Pelicans please stand up?" It's halftime(kind of) now, so let's look at what's working, and what needs work.

Point Zion Is The Best Zion

The Zion that posts up is a star-level player, but the Zion that initiates the offense is a superstar-level player. In three of his six appearances before the all-star break, Zion scored 30+ points three times. With a skillset like Zion's, this probably isn't as surprising as him averaging six assists simultaneously! Since becoming the primary ball handler, Zion's scoring has gone up, and so have his playmaking opportunities, which has led to an uptick in his assists per game. Not only has Zion's numbers benefited from him being the primary offensive initiator, but also has The Bayou Sniper's Trey Murphy III and Jordan Hawkins. Trey is shooting a blistering 40.5% on three-point shots created by Zion Williamson, and Jordan is not far behind at 39.6%. One of the more deadly sets that the Pels have often deployed in the Point Zion era is the ghost screen-to-flare screen action often run between Murphy III and Zion. This action creates quite a problem for the defense, having to choose between letting a guy that shoots 40% on passes made by Zion get an open three if you help too hard or overreacting to the screen and giving Zion a straight-line drive to the rim. Point Zion creates the space needed for the shooters around him to do what they do best. It also places CJ McCollum in the more familiar scoring position on the floor. Zion, as the primary facilitator, is already showing positive returns in a small sample size.

"CJ from three....BANG!" - Mike Breen(probably)

After an extended summer break due to the Pelicans' inability to make the playoffs, CJ McCollum has come back  on a tear from three. CJ has bypassed the "make them respect you" level of shooting from deep to the "don't let him see the rim" level. Out of players who have shot 300 or more threes thus far this season, CJ is tied for second place in percentages, shooting a blistering 42% from deep. CJ's ability to space the floor allows Zion and midrange Marxman Brandon Ingram to operate inside the three-point line. McCollum has made a career of being a tough shot-maker from the midrange area, but extending his range has led to a more efficient midrange output from McCollum, shooting 50.9% from two, which is well over his 48.7% career average. CJ's ability to reinvent himself in year thirteen shows his level of commitment not only to winning but also to winning as a New Orleans Pelican, becoming what the Pels need most... a knockdown shooter.

Herb Jones = First Half MVP

From guarding the opposing team's primary scoring threat to hitting timely corner three-pointers, Herb Jones has been the most valuable Pelican thus far this season. Jones's ability to cover his assignment and take on teammates' assignments mid-position without blinking is the primary catalyst for the Pelicans' seventh-ranked defense rating. Not to be outdone by his world-renowned defensive abilities, Jones is hovering around the exclusive 50/40/90 club, shooting 49% from the field, 40% from three, and 86% from the free throw line. Jones is becoming much more than a defensive specialist, making his four-year / $53,827,872 deal one of the most team-friendly contracts in the league. Often the odd man out when the talent level of this team is being quantified, one could argue that the New Orleans Pelicans' stars can be stars because of Jones' ability to cover up their mistakes on defense and become a deadly space creator on offense. Herb Jones is my first half Most Valuable Pelican.

The Adjustments

Paging The Bayou Snipers

Jordan Hawkins and Trey Murphy III have hit a shooting slump. While Hawkins' lack of playing time could be a primary contributor to his dip in shooting percentage(don't even get me started), as a professional player, the opportunities are few and must be capitalized on when they arrive. Murphy III's slump has affected his entire game, often looking stagnant on the offensive end and becoming the primary point of an attack on the defensive end. Hawkins and TM3 are all world shooters. If the Pelicans have any chance at a deep playoff run, they'll need them to be every bit of that down the stretch.


The Curious Case Of Zion And Brandon

Statistically speaking, Williamson and Ingram have the worst Net rating(2.1) of the top 6 teams in the West. With that being said, the Pelicans should not choose between Brandon Ingram or Zion Williamson. Instead, there should be an honest conversation on roles and complete buy-in. As I previously stated, the New Orleans Pelicans are at their best when Zion is the primary ball handler and facilitator. I want to take it a step further and say when in the game, Williamson should be the primary focal point of the Pelicans' offense. The gravity Zion's presence causes in itself should create efficient looks for Ingram and the rest of the team. Ingram is in line for a significant payday; one could argue that the best way to get that payday is by showing that, like CJ McCollum, winning matters more than shot attempts and touches for Ingram.


Shoot More Three's

The Pelicans are eighth in the NBA in three-point percentage at 37.7% but twenty-third in three-point attempts per game at 32.1. This can be attributed to multiple things, including the need for lineups featuring shooters. Coach Green's commitment to playing defense first lineups hinders the Pelicans' ability to deploy the arsenal of shooters they employ fully. Going into the final stretch of the season, as games get more competitive due to the jockeying for playoff position, the Pelicans could benefit from relieving the paint presence Zion faces on a night-in and night-out basis by willingly committing to a lineup that includes Hawkins, Murphy III, and McCollum and to a lesser extent Matt Ryan. Another factor could be your primary scorer's desire to be midrange and paint guys. Will Coach Green adjust and move forward, or will we run the risk of watching an often-injured Zion play basketball in a phone booth?

In Conclusion

The New Orleans Pelicans currently hold the sixth place in the Western Conference, with a 33-22 record. Achieving a fifty-win season for the first time since 2007-2008 is possible with a few minor adjustments. However, the task won't be easy, as they only have seven matches left against non-playoff teams out of their final twenty-seven games. The Pelicans will be facing the young and energetic Houston Rockets on Thursday night, in their journey towards achieving fifty wins and securing a playoff spot. Let's go Pelicans!The Pelicans sit in the sixth spot of the West with a 33-22 record. We could look at the first fifty-win New Orleans professional basketball team since 2007-2008 with a few minor adjustments. With only seven of their final twenty-seven games against none playoff teams, it will be a challenging feat to accomplish. The journey towards fifty wins and an outright playoff bid continues Thursday night against the young, energetic Houston Rockets. Let's Geaux Pels!

A quick share helps us a lot!

2026 NFL Draftmas Eve

By Kaden Arkeder • April 23, 2026
It’s the night before the draft, and you’re scrolling on X to see what all the NFL insiders and draft analysts have to say about your team. Trying to find any clues about who is going where and what the latest rumor is that could be the biggest surprise of Thursday night. The NFL Draft is one of the few times during the year when every fan has some level of hope and optimism in their team. The draft is a three-day event where it can make or break a franchise to where you can be set up for a Super Bowl contention or be stuck in the doldrums. This year, Saints fans get to have some hope and optimism after how well the 2025 NFL Draft went. Kelvin Banks and Tyler Shough headline their draft class, which showed great promise for the Saints moving forward. Now it is on Mickey Loomis, Jeff Ireland, and company to keep the momentum going and have back-to-back successful drafts. Something they haven’t been able to really do in almost ten years now. But pressure isn’t new to Mickey Loomis, the man is not fazed by the likes of you or me posting online how poor of a job he’s done. No, the man simply chews his gum into a microphone defiantly with the confidence knowing that when his back is against the wall, he can capture lightning in a bottle. Mickey did it for the 06’ draft as well as the 17’ draft. The 2025 draft doesn’t appear to be quite like those, however, getting a starting Quarterback in the second round might help make a case, but that’s beside the point. The Saints don’t need to shoot for the moon with the 2026 NFL Draft, they aren’t one player away, which Mickey confirmed today in his annual pre-draft interview. All the Saints have to do is draft good football players and not get cute. Which I know is putting it way too simply, and is easier said than done. But I don’t want the Saints to get trigger-happy and make a costly trade that backfires on them à la Trevor Penning or Marcus Davenport. If a trade opportunity comes along that they deem is reasonable, then by all means, I hope they take advantage, but just make sure you’re not the ones being taken advantage of. The Saints might have already done the hardest part by finding a QB, so now they can do the fun part of the roster building. I’ll admit there is some nervousness as a Saints fan about the draft and rightfully so, but as I type this out, the Saints are in a spot where they can’t really go wrong with their first pick in the draft. All the players being mocked to them can and should help the team in a major way as a rookie. They could go with a dynamic wide receiver like Jordyn Tyson or Carnell Tate, a do-it-all safety like Caleb Downs, a productive edge rusher like Ruben Bain, or maybe even trade up for a cyborg-like linebacker in Arvell Reese. The Saints have plenty of options, and all of them should be quality options. So now the question is, who is going to be the Saints fans’ present Thursday evening? We don’t have to wait much longer to find out. Merry Draftmas, everyone.

Texas A&M Hands LSU Second Consecutive Sweep

By David Billiot Jr • April 20, 2026
Sunday Afternoon Recap For the first time since 2021, LSU has been swept in back-to-back series. It was the third uncompetitive game from the Tigers, falling behind early and failing to ever punch back. It’s a shame, because we actually saw one of the best pitching performances of the season by Deven Sheerin. He was phenomenal, but by the time he entered the game, the damage was already done. Zac Cowan made the start, which was what a lot of folks hoped for, but Texas A&M’s offense was just too good, even for him. The wind was blowing hard and straight in, making it a tough offensive day in Alex Box. That did not matter, though, as the Aggies blasted two homeruns. Jay Johnson told me after the game that the wind conditions actually plated a factor in the decision to start Cowan, so it was a tough blow watching that gameplan go down the drain. Offensively, the LSU lineup continued to be anemic. Aggie starter Weston Moss entered with an ERA of 6.69, yet the Tigers couldn’t touch him. They struck out another 11 times, drawing only 4 walks. For the weekend, that’s 29 strikeouts while only drawing 7 walks. On Sunday, they were 2-16 with runners on base and went 0-7 with runners in scoring position. That formula isn’t good enough to beat anyone in the SEC, much less a top team like Texas A&M. Pitching Even Zac Cowan wasn’t immune to this dangerous Aggie lineup. After a leadoff groundout, Caden Sorrell hit a line drive homerun that just got high enough to get in to the Diamond Deck. That swing put Texas A&M on the scoreboard first for the third time in the series. Despite following with a walk, the senior was able to get a strikeout and another ground out to limit the early damage to 1-0. Cowan allowed a leadoff walk to start the 2nd. A groundout moved the runner to 2nd, then yet another wild pitch moved him to 3rd, setting up a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0 before a flyout ended the inning. Back for the 3rd, the Aggies got their leadoff man on base, again. After a flyout, Chris Hacopian ripped a 2-run homerun and LSU was down 4-0. Following a groundout and a walk, Cowan’s day was done. Final line: 2.2 IP / 3 hits / 4 runs / 1 K / 3 BB / 60 pitches (37 strikes, 62%) Likely way earlier than he hoped, Jay Johnson had to call upon Deven Sheerin to record the final out of the 3rd. He came in and struck out Terrence Kiel II looking. In the 4th, he found himself in a good bit of trouble after a leadoff strikeout. Three consecutive singles extended the lead to 5-0 and had two runners still on base. Sheerin then struck out both Sorrell and Hacopian to stop the bleeding. It wasn’t until the 5th inning that the Aggies were kept off of the scoreboard, going 3-up, 3-down with a couple of strikeouts. He did the same in the 6th, striking out another two. His 7th inning was his final inning and it was another 1-2-3 frame, extending his streak of 11-straight Aggies retired to finish his outing. Final line: 4.1 IP / 3 hits / 1 run / 9 K / 0 BB / 61 pitches (47 strikes, 77%) Santiago Garcia took over for the 8th and walked the leadoff hitter. He locked in after that, going strikeout, flyout, strikeout. That was his only inning of work. Final line: 1.0 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 2 K / 1 BB / 16 pitches (11 strikes, 69%) After the Tigers finally found the scoreboard to make it a 5-2 game, Gavin Guidry took the mound for the 9th. After starting 2-0 to Bear Harrison, he battled back to start with a strikeout and then followed with another. An error on Tanner Reaves was the first of the weekend for LSU and after Grahovac stole 2nd, Jay chose to intentionally walk Sorrell. Guidry was able to record a flyout to center to keep the deficit at 5-2 heading to their final 3 outs. Final line: 1.0 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 2 K / 1 int BB / 20 pitches (13 strikes, 65%) Hitting Cade Arrambide blasted his 10th homerun of the season, the second Tiger to reach double digits in 2026. It came in the 8th inning to break the Aggies shutout. He finished 1-5, but had a good weekend and now hold the second highest batting average on the team at .311. Derek Curiel finished 1-3 with a walk. His base hit came directly after Arrambide’s homerun and he eventually came around to score on a wild pitch for the Tigers second and final run of the game. Steven Milam, Jake Brown, Omar Serna, John Pearson, and Eddie Yamin each finished with one hit. Up Next LSU will stay at home for a midweek battle with UNO on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30. The Privateers sit with a 17-25 record and are also struggling in their conference play with a record of 7-14. With the Tigers season entering dire moments, Tuesday is not only a must-win, but it feels like a must that they play well and find some momentum to take to Starkville next weekend for a 3-game series with the Bulldogs. A loss on Friday would mark only the second time in LSU baseball history that they lose 7 consecutive games. Follow me on X for much more @DCBilliotJr
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