The Pelicans aren’t stealing anything

By Joshua Mixon

It’s no real secret New Orleans boasts a lackluster defense, and nothing is more telling of that than the Pelicans’ statistics in steals and turnovers.

The Pelicans’ inability to create turnovers — New Orleans ranks 14th in the NBA in steals per game with 5.9 — shows glaringly on the defensive end. New Orleans ranks 14th in overall defensive rating as well, and every team ahead of it averages at least 6.9 steals per game.

The steals leader would be none other than center DeMarcus Cousins, with 1.6 steals per game. Also of note: Cousins is out for the remainder of the season, so that stat isn’t going to grow.

That means the Pelicans’ guards will need to step up.

Guards Rajon Rondo and Jrue Holiday each average less than two steals per game. In fact, coming in at №2 on the steals list is power forward Anthony Davis — another inside player.

No other guards, or even small forwards, average one steal per game. Only four players average over one steal per game.

If the Pelicans are to make any kind of a playoff run, they’ll need to fix up their defense, as the team gives up an average of over 111 points per game. Maybe going for steals and creating turnovers is the answer.