Why James Borrego is ‘not worried’ that 2 key associates will be left cold

As it is The New Orleans Pelicans are starting a grueling holiday scheduletwo of their key perimeter threats unfortunately hit it cold from beyond the arc. Still, despite the season’s struggles to find a consistent rhythm, the interim coach James Borrego does not sound any alarms Trey Murphy III or Saddiq Bey. Two teams of the most reliable spacers must keep firing until the victories come.

Murphy III is averaging 20.5 points (36.3% 3PA) on 46.8% shooting. That three-point percentage is close to a career-worst. Bay is averaging 14.2 points on 35% from three-point range, also below his career average. Murphy III’s numbers stagnated under Borega; Bay’s three-point percentage has dropped significantly (29.3% 3PA). Thanks to the dynamic duo, Borrego’s belief in their shooting remains steadfast.

“You just have to believe that (Sadic Bey and Trey Murphy III) more times than not,” Borrego began, “they’re going to knock down those shots. I trust both of them, especially when it comes to high-quality shots. I think the threes we’re getting are high-quality. Do we need more volume? Absolutely. That’s on me to keep pushing.”

The Pelicans stood out in penetrating the defense and attacking the paint in recent weeks. Still, Borrego believes the team needs to capitalize on those strengths by creating more open looks beyond the arc. It’s no coincidence that New Orleans is 25th in points scored (112.3) and 26th in three-pointers attempted (32.1).

Getting Murphy III and Bey to bomb from beyond the arc more often is the only way to beat the most important math problem on the scoreboard.

“We touch paint as much as anybody,” Borrego boasted. “Then we’ve got to find those two, especially for more quality threes and just more threes in general, because I believe they’re going to knock them down. Those are high-level shooters; I like to see five or six more threes in general. We’ll watch film and continue to coach our guys on that because we’re going downhill like everybody right now.”

With the Pelicans already six games out of the NBA Play-In picture, Borrego outlined priorities that focused on making decisions on the rim and capitalizing on drive-and-shoot opportunities.

“Now it’s all about decisions and strikeouts,” Borrego explained. “I’m going to keep talking until we figure it out, but we’re going to figure it out and find more threes. I’m not worried about Trey or Sadik. They’ll be back.”

Reflecting on why the Pelicans fell short of preseason expectations, Borrego pointed to lapses in sustaining early momentum, especially in the late quarters.

“I wish I had an answer,” Borrego sighed. “Look, I think we’re finding high-quality shots early. In a lot of these first quarters, we’re finding a lot of high-quality shots when our tempo and ball movement is more of a focus. I feel like our guys are moving the ball. Our challenge now as a team offensively is, can we sustain that through the third and fourth? I feel like we have confidence in the third and fourth? even in the fourth quarter and we continue to keep pace.”

While offensive rhythm is a point of emphasis, Borrego has returned to defense as the primary measure of success down the stretch. He directly linked defensive stops to creating early leads that have eluded the Pelicans for years.

“I like the way our guys are playing in the first quarters,” Borrego replied. “They move the ball, they share it. The biggest thing is we have to get stops in the first quarter. I’ll take 30 all day. We have to hold them to 30 and under to win that quarter. Then going for 32 instead of 28 or 26, which is hovering in that range, so we can do a better job. is really the key for us.”

Maybe Borrego it should not be liked that first quarter. The Pelicans are 1-11 in the first quarter since Willie Green was fired, ranking 22nd in points scored in those 12 minutes. They are 26th in defensive rating and dead last in net rating. It just won’t do. It will take more than Trey Murphy III and Saddiq Bey hitting a few more shots to get the team back on track. They could be a spark, however, as soon as they start celebrating a few more Swiss women.