re: General NBA Links

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The mindless genuflection to some nice-sounding theory or flimsily supported number-crunching gets old. You have to keep defenses on their toes by taking shots from all over. Sure, you lean on efficient shots, but you do not eliminate the others.

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It's not about that at all.

A few problems for me:

1) It's not that Davis shouldn't take those shots (important to his development and, as you say, putting defenders in bad situations). More that I don't want him to settle. At times, I've felt the team has forgotten how devastating he is at the rim, working to get him jumpers instead of layups/dunks. As much as his jumper has improved, he is still much more effective at the rim.

Like I said, playing next to non entities like Steimsma helps a defense corral him. But I don't want him turning into a LaMarcus Aldridge volume jump shooter- he is better than that.

2) Keeping defenses on their toes is great. This team does nothing of the sort. The overall shot profile and poor spacing of the team means defenses know what the Pelicans are doing. They know this team does not look, or really want, to shoot 3s. Pack the paint, contest the drives, limit OREB chances, and the Pelicans have no effective counters.

Some of this is personnel. Defenses will pay more attention to Jrue Holiday and Ryan Anderson than any of the guys taking their minutes. And, as you have pointed out, Anderson did his own thing in terms of 3PA and it does not seem to be part of the offense's design. 2nd least in both total corner 3PA and above the break 3PA in the league pretty much tells us this is not a priority.

The plan is RA shots all the time. Great plan because math, right? Well, no. Not if you want to keep defenses off balance and have them worrying about defending multiple areas of the court.