New Orleans is only a handful of games into the regular season – and Tuesday’s 25-point loss at Phoenix certainly did not go according to plan – but a new approach on defense appears to be working. The Pelicans (3-2) rank fourth in the NBA in defensive efficiency, despite facing some quality competition, allowing just 101.0 points per 100 possessions (via NBA.com). It’s an admittedly small sample size, but New Orleans has effectively prevented opponents from getting to the foul line, ranking No. 1 in free throws allowed per game (15.4), while also doing a competent job defending the three-point line (opponents are shooting 35.
Pelicans shootaround update presented by Entergy: Protecting the paint netting early results
