New Orleans Pelicans Q&A With Owen Sanborn

Feb 7, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) drives past New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson (33) and center Omer Asik (3) during the second quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Adam: The Pelicans’ defensive rating of 105.1 is the sixth worst in the NBA, What is it that lets the team down like that defensively?

Owen: You would think a team with Anthony Davis and Omer Asik manning the painted area would post better defensive numbers, right? Honestly a bunch of their defensive issues could be due to their bad luck with the injury bug. Defense is mainly about communication, cohesion and effort, and it is difficult for everyone to get on the same page when there are new players rotating in and out of the lineup on a consistent basis.

Additionally, the rotations are not always crisp and in sync, leading to a ton of easy buckets for the opposition. There are at least two or three plays a game when a ball handler will have a free lane to the hoop for a lay up. The Pelicans’ announcers get really grumpy whenever this happens and it is easily one of the best parts of the game viewing experience.

With all of that being said, the Pelicans’ defensive rating should not be that low and I expect that number to improve whenever the roster can sustain a long period of good health.

Next: Can Anthony Davis Be Stopped?