One solution to the New Orleans Pelicans’ recent offensive struggles is simple but not necessarily an easy fix: Make more open shots. As the Pelicans embarked Friday on a weekend road trip that will stop in Los Angeles and Phoenix, they’re ranked 29th in the NBA in three-point shooting percentage (31.4), a rate that dropped again in Thursday’s 99-88 home loss to Philadelphia. Pelicans second-year head coach Alvin Gentry pointed out that after reviewing tape of the 76ers game, his players went roughly 14 of 45 overall on what are deemed uncontested shots.
“That means there was no (defender) within three feet,” Gentry explained after Friday’s practice.