This is such a weird season, man. The Pelicans started 4-2. Then they sunk to 5-10. Next thing they reel off a few wins and are up to 11-12... then come a few more defeats and that’s been the pattern.

Although maybe it’s not so weird when you consider that the lowest point, that tenth defeat, came at the very end of a six game road trip that included playing both LA teams as well as two games against the sizzlingly good Utah Jazz. Then they had a run of seven of eight games at home and they were great, winning five of them including really commendable Ws against the Bucks and Suns. Then came four straight road games to take us to the present moment... where today they began another four-game home stand so expect the form to trend back upwards again. This team is 7-6 at home, 5-10 on the road. There’s a nine-point swing in their average points differential between home and road games. One of those ‘worth keeping in mind’ factors when considering the ebbs and flows of this particular campaign.

Also worth keeping in mind are these last two games in which Steven Adams did not have the best of times physically. He didn’t come back out in the fourth quarter against Memphis, not that they needed him in a blowout win, because of a sore back (though Coach Van Gundy later said he could have played if they’d needed him). Then the very next day he was good to go against Portland which was a positive sign on the other end of a back-to-back except that late in the first quarter he came down hard on his right ankle and didn’t even pause to say what’s up to Enes Kanter before he limped straight off the court and down towards the locker room. It was confirmed later in the game that he would not return.

Fingers crossed he doesn’t have to miss much/any time but those ankle tweaks are pesky little lingering bastards sometimes and when someone as ordinarily stoic as Steven Adams is hurling a chair in frustration as he makes his way down the tunnel… that’s not a good sign.

The Three Point Line

When Steven Adams was traded for by the New Orleans Pelicans, a lot of very clever basketball folk questioned the fit alongside Zion Williamson considering they were two big men with next to no range to their shooting. And as discussed in the last Kiwi Steve write-up: the paint’s only ever big enough for one of them at a time.

But a lot of other very clever basketball folk loved it for the rebounding prowess they’d bring, for how Adams shields Zion’s worse tendencies on defence, for the sheer unmatched size and strength of the two of them. One of those clever folk being their coach Stan Van Gundy. Both sides of the argument made valid points. But basketball isn’t always black and white with isolated causes and effects and all that drama. And hey would you look at this...

Interesting. Very interesting. To be honest there are some convenient aspects to this because he generally plays with the starters so he’s surrounded by theoretically better shooters. Although better defenders too. But largely this gets down to that idea about screen assists and those kinda things – Steven Adams ranks fifth in the league in screen assists per game (4.6) and when you’re as big, strong, and proficient in the screen game as Adams is... there’s a clean pocket there to shoot from for somebody like Brandon Ingram or whoever. It’s JJ Redick in the video above who wheels around the backside to launch up a goodie. There ya go.

Two other things have been a factor in this. One is that guys are hitting shots, simple as that. Lonzo Ball and JJ Redick in particular have come out of shooting slumps. Then the other is that in the last few weeks we’ve begun to see more of Zion Williamson setting up on the perimeter. After attempting just two (unsuccessful) triples in his first 12 games, Williamson’s next 14 saw him shoot 11 of them at 36.4%. It’s still less than one a game but as long as teams know he can shoot from there, that’s a problem. Because if you close out on Zion on the perimeter then he has both the passing skills and also especially the bulldozing ability on the dribble to create plays closer to the rim. It cannot be stressed enough that Zion’s lay-up scoring prowess is jaw-dropping. He gets that ball in the basket in ways that a man his size has no business doing. Hanging in the air, going up and under, changing hands late, storming through contact, cheeky footwork... it’s unbelievable. The other day he shot 14/15 for 36 points against Dallas. The only miss? A three-pointer.

It’s those drives to the hoop from outside that make that set-up such a threat. You get the equivalent spacing of a top notch three-point shooter with just a fraction of the volume of deep shooting (and probably just as many points – ZW averaging 31.6 points on 70% shooting in his last five games and his assists have gone way up in recent weeks too).

And this thrilling surge from Zanos (apparently they call him that?) isn’t just unaffected when Adams is also on the court... but it actually seems to be better with Steve around. When Zion is paired with Adams his field goal percentage rises by 3.3%, the biggest jump of any of his two-man pairings. The lads around them are shooting 39.8% from deep in those minutes with an offensive rating of 116.8 too. Nothing to worry about there whatsoever.

What’s more of a concern is their three-point defence. In consecutive defeats against the Bulls, Mavs & Pistons they were absolutely torched from the edge for 67 combined threes – an NBA record. Chicago shot 25/47 with Zach LaVine making nine of them and Coby White eight. Dallas shot 25/45 with Kristaps Porzingis killing them with eight of the bad boys and Luka Doncic bagging five. Then Detroit made 17/35, a few less than the other jokers but still only a shade under 50%. Saddiq Bey and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk both made four. They managed to keep the Grizzlies to reasonable numbers... but then Dame Lillard and the Blazers came to town and Dame scored 43 points (with 7 triples) to go with 16 assists. Gary Trent Jr also hit five tres.

Porzingis did that as a centre so that’s partially on Steven Adams but when a seven-footer is draining them from a step behind the line at 8/13 there’s sorta not much you can do other than put your hands together and pray. And Lillard can drill them from the carpark so no stopping that. Yet even if you take the exceptions out of the equation then it’s still a terrible pattern. Like, beyond unacceptable. The three point line has been a problem from day one for this team but while they’ve improved on the offensive end there have been no answers defensively. We’re talking about a team that is on pace to allow the more three-pointers in an NBA season than any other team in history in a season that is ten games shorter than normal. Two other teams give up worse percentages from three (Cavs & Kings) but they do so on considerably fewer shots. This Pellies team is allowing FORTY ONE 3PAs a night.

The strange thing is that Eric Bledsoe came to New Orleans as a consecutive All-NBA Defensive team selection and Lonzo Ball has the potential to earn such honours himself. These are two really good individual defenders in those areas... yet for whatever reason they’re mixing like water and oil. This isn’t a three-point attempt here but it’s a play that breaks down in the backcourt and just look at the frustrated body language from Steven as he switches his man and Bledsoe does not...

The Pellies also have two very young players in their starting line-up: Ingram & Williamson. Neither of them have yet developed those defensive instincts which do take a few years in the big leagues to get amongst it. One player being slow to get back in transition can bust everything that follows. Same for one poor rotation or one needless defensive gamble. Adams isn’t immune to that either. Despite his defensive reputation as a rim protector, he’s never been a much of a shot blocker compared to others in his position. And he’s always had trouble defending outside the paint when his comparative lack of mobility is called into question. One of the reasons his defensive rebounding numbers can fluctuate is he’s done a lot of defending further out from the basket lately – SVG having to tweak and experiment in the quest for some kind of answer.

And that, you get the feeling, is the major drama. Good players but not enough chemistry yet. The two veteran defenders on the roster, Adams and Bledsoe, are fresh to the team plus there’s a new coach and as has to keep on being mentioned: preseason was limited and training time is at a minimum this season. Call it a work in progress... and don’t think those trade rumours surrounding Redick and Ball have gone away either. Chicago now appears to be the most likely destination for Ball (who just because he’s playing much better these days doesn’t mean the team can afford to pay him – if anything it just ups Ball’s bargaining power) while Redick is the very picture of a trade deadline acquisition. That chat might’ve been moved to the back-burner but the barbecue’s still cooking.

The Fits

Clearly somebody’s a fan of the ol’ Stoney Creek threads. Apparently he just wears that shirt to every game now? Which is even more fantastic because of how freezing things are in America at the moment and the man’s just rocking up in shorts and slides. I mean, he’s gotta get changed again once he gets to the dressing room, right? No point dressing up and then having to find room in the locker for that massive-ass designer coat (and his would be bigger than most). Bonus points for the kiwi delicacies to go with the kiwi gear as well, of course (the header pic for Kiwi Steve #2 has him in a Stoney Creek jacket too, btw). This bloke truly is cut from a different cloth to the rest of the NBA.

Must’ve been cold today though, here’s that Stoney Creek jacket in action again and the bloke’s even got trackies on. Shivering just looking at that, damn...

And while we’re on the topic of fits, how about our own fits...

What’s crazy is that the Aussie list is on that same link too (in fact it’s the major focus) and Steven Adams ranks ninth there, with LaMelo Ball number one for obvious reasons, yet there isn’t a single Australian in the top ten. Not even Ben Simmons. Madness – how are y’all not getting behind Ben Simmons!? He might not be able to hit threes but he does damn near everything else.

As for the rest of the list, it’s mostly the same names as on that Aotearoa one, just in different orders. The only different names are Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown sneaking onto the list whereas we have Devin Booker and... Domantas Sabonis!? Yeah, not sure what he’s doing there either. Other than being a former teammate of Adams’ in OKC for a season, it doesn’t make much sense. Great player but would rather a Giannis jersey, myself. Outstanding to see the New Orleans Pelicans swoop to the top of the team merch list too – the Thunder dropping out of the top five though so dunno how many folks let their fandom follow Steve to New Orleans. S’pose we can expect Zion Williamson’s jersey to shoot up the ranks next year.

By the way, this is all data from the NBA Store’s website. So you can rest assured that they didn’t account for that twenty buck knock-off you scored at the flea market last month. Probably not even taking into account Rebel Sport or Stirling either, come to think of it. Though chances are the figures there would be mostly the same anyway – the chain stores only ever stock the major players.

Doin’ The Rounds

What’s this? ESPN getting specific about Steven Adams and Zion Williamson’s frontcourt partnership? Don’t mind if we do. Most of the yarn stays with that slightly boring idea that Steven Adams and Zion Williamson are really strong. A couple nice examples though, like when Adams got rocked by rookie Zion last season trying to challenge a drive to the basket. Or when Zion apparently caused Eric Bledsoe to miss three days of training camp after a hard hit and last year caused one of the coaching staff, after scrimmaging against ZW, to have to get checked for concussion at hospital (he was all good). This note about the screen efficiency of the pairing meshes nicely with some of the earlier chat about spacing though...

“In games, Pelicans' ball handlers can go off of double screens with Williamson or Adams on either elbow. Sometimes they'll run through both. Sometimes they'll use one while the other screener rolls. Sometimes they'll ignore both and drive to the goal. Sometimes the other player whose screen isn't used -- Adams or Williamson -- will screen for the screener to get an action going.

"That would be pretty annoying," Adams said with a chuckle.

And those screens are effective. The league-wide average for shots directly off a pick is 0.98 points per chance, according to Second Spectrum tracking. The Pelicans average 1.12 points per chance whenever a player fires directly off a Williamson or Adams screen.”

What’s this? JJ Redick getting Steven Adams on his podcast for a full-on hour-plus chat? Well well well, what a lovely week it has been for Steven Adams media cameos. Not gonna drop any quotes from this other than the tasters that were sent out from The Old Man & The Three themselves because this was a classic, if you’re reading this now then you’ve either already heard it or you’re about to. Steve’s in casual, unguarded mode talking with another player and it’s an hour of quality, must-listen yarns.

And of course for you regular listeners who know what’s up here (not too hard to figure out, they drafted holidays, basically)...

(Of course he took St Patties first... old mate loves a Guinness)

BOX SCORES

vs PHOENIX SUNS (W 123-101):

29 MIN | 11 PTS (4/10 FG, 3/4 FT) | 13 REB (8 OFF) | 4 AST | 1 STL | 2 PF

at INDIANA PACERS (W 114-114):

30 MIN | 12 PTS (5/5 FG, 2/5 FT) | 12 REB (7 OFF) | 1 AST | 1 STL | 4 TO | 3 PF

vs MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (W 118-109):

29 MIN | 4 PTS (2/3 FG, 0/4 FT) | 2 REB (2 OFF) | 1 AST | 1 STL | 2 PF

vs HOUSTON ROCKETS (W 130-101):

22 MIN | 6 PTS (3/6 FG) | 4 REB (3 OFF) | 2 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 3 PF

at CHICAGO BULLS (L 129-116):

22 MIN | 3 PTS (1/2 FG, 1/1 FT) | 6 REB (4 OFF) | 2 AST | 2 STL | 1 TO | 1 PF

at DALLAS MAVERICKS (L 143-130):

20 MIN | 4 PTS (2/4 FG) | 4 REB (4 OFF) | 1 AST | 2 TO | 2 PF

at DETROIT PISTONS (L 123-112):

30 MIN | 13 PTS (5/7 FG, 3/5 FT) | 12 REB (9 OFF) | 2 AST | 1 TO | 1 PF

at MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (W 144-113):

24 MIN | 8 PTS (4/5 FG, 0/2 FT) | 7 REB (3 OFF) | 3 STL | 2 BLK | 1 TO | 2 PF

vs PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (L 126-124):

10 MIN | 2 PTS (1/1 FG) | 3 REB (1 OFF) | 1 PF

SLAM DUNKS

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