While not typically a critique levied on the New Orleans Pelicans, a recent story from The Athletic’s Seth Partnow revealed a potential glaring weakness for the franchise. After The Athletic did similar reports for NHL and NFL franchises, Partnow took a look at the size of the analytics departments for each NBA franchise.
While Partnow admitted to it likely being an incomplete sample size, the Pelicans not only had the smallest analytics department, they had just one full-time staffer in the department.
While, again, not a comprehensive list, the Pelicans likely wouldn’t have many more than the above listed. As a result, the Pelicans likely have one of the smaller analytics departments at best.
Again, it’s not an issue that seems to be setting the Pelicans back as the team has still adapted to modern basketball. The up-tempo playstyle with a heavy amount of three-point shooting is as modern as it comes.
But it could be an area the Pelicans could look to improve upon in the coming seasons as they look to become one of the top teams in the NBA.
