5 things that went wrong for New Orleans Pelicans in the 2020-21 NBA season

#3 Zion Williamson's injury near the end of the season

Zion Williamson on the New Orleans Pelicans on the bench

During the final stretch of the season, the New Orleans Pelicans were rising in the standings and had won 5 of their last 8 games. But right as they hit their stride, Zion Williamson fractured his finger and was ruled out indefinitely.

The Pelicans' playoff hopes tanked right there. They were 13th at one point in the season and had climbed up to 11th thanks to their run of good results. There was speculation about a potential appearance in the play-in tournament if they maintained their momentum. However, their talisman's injury meant they lost their remaining games from that point on.

Pelicans’ star Zion Williamson out indefinitely with finger fracture, team announceshttps://t.co/z097HeROOb

— FOX 8 New Orleans (@FOX8NOLA) May 7, 2021

The Pelicans run everything through Zion Williamson. He averaged a whopping 27 points per game on an astonishing 61% shooting from the field. He led the league in FG% for any player averaging over 20 points per game and did so on volume shooting of 17+ attempts.

The New Orleans Pelicans are 2-9 when Williamson doesn't suit up. His injury came at the worst time and derailed their season.

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#4 Eric Bledsoe wasn't a wise swap for Jrue Holiday

Eric Bledsoe with the New Orleans Pelicans

A front office blunder meant Jrue Holiday was let go and traded for Eric Bledsoe. The Milwaukee Bucks clearly won the trade in that respect as Holiday instantly elevated the team's rating on both ends of the floor.

The 31-year-old is one of the best defenders in the league and letting him go was certainly a mistake in hindsight. Bledsoe is a defensive guard who did nothing to improve the New Orleans Pelicans' perimeter defense.

Moreover, on the other end of the floor, he averaged just 12.2 points per game on 42% shooting from the field. This was his lowest points-per-game average since 2013. Bledsoe has always averaged numbers close to 17 to 19 points per game and a dip to 12.2 points per game is rather significant. However, he was clearly not trusted enough with the ball as his shot attempts went down as well.

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#5 New Orleans Pelicans lacked bench depth

The New Orleans Pelicans used the same 8-9 players in rotation for the majority of the season. The younger players lacked poise and experience, and blew leads consistently. The lack of defense aggravated the situation as the team lost confidence and morale after repeatedly blowing leads.

The Pelicans were also over-reliant on Zion Williamson to score buckets. When he went to the bench, the "Non-Zion minutes" as they were dubbed, were a disaster for the team.

With all the talk of Lonzo, Bledsoe, Ingram, Zion's defense and SVG's coaching, it really just came down to young guys not being able to close games. Blown leads and close games doomed the Pelicans (via @TheBukShow) https://t.co/p9USCTRLBk

— Pelican Debrief (@PelicanDebrief) May 19, 2021

The New Orleans Pelicans need to get a backup front court and veteran experience in the locker room. They cannot rely on a 20-year-old to carry all the burden for the team. They need to survive the minutes Williamson spends on the bench with decent depth, preferably '3-and-D' players.