New Orleans Pelicans: 3 Players That Disappointed This Season

After having swept the Trailblazers in the first round of the postseason last season, the Pelicans couldn't even bag a playoff berth for themselves this year around. Obviously, Boogie Cousins' decision to join the Warriors left everyone including his close friend Anthony Davis in shock, and the franchise couldn't do enough to fill up the void in time.

New Orleans finished 13th on the Western Conference leaderboard(they were 6th last year) having won 15 lesser games than they did during their 2017-18 regular season campaign. Their unimpressive 33-49(0.402) win-loss record was the outcome of a chaotic team experience in terms of disloyalty, trade talks, injuries and more.

Possessing decent talent on paper, this team was unable to get past the hurdles every NBA season brings and fell on its face. Despite some considerable self-inflicted pain via prevalent AD trade talks, coach Alvin Gentry made sure the team was up and functioning to their best on any given night. However, it was fairly evident that the whole roster was affected by the things they heard and saw before the trade deadline passed.

Let's take a look at the three individuals who failed to step up during a season when their team needed them the most.

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#1 E'Twaun Moore

This is E'Twaun Moore's 4th NBA team in eight years.

E'Twaun Moore - being only one of two players on the Pelicans roster born out of the 90s - played 53 games for the Pelicans, of which he started in 36. He got an average of over 27 minutes of playtime during the regular season, but could only put together numbers like 11.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

Back in 2010 and 2011, he was a 2-time First-Team All Big Ten selection, which followed him being drafted by the Celtics as their 55th pick in round 2.

Having started 80 games for his team last season, Moore's scoring numbers this year showed no noticeable rise. Considering the fact that 29-year-old shooting guard is due $8.6 million, some are naming him as the most likely candidate to be packaged in a trade including other players.

#2 Ian Clark

Ian Clark won a championship with Golden State back in 2017.

From being cleared off waivers by the Nuggets in 2015 to winning an NBA title with the Warriors in 2017, Clark has seen it all.

After averaging 7.4 points per game in 73 appearances last season, Clark decided to re-sign with the Pelicans in July of 2018. He played in a total of 60 games for the Pelicans this past season, and came off the bench in 58 of them.

For a shooting guard, he could barely manage a sub-par 39% conversion from the floor and a disappointing 32% from beyond the arc. Taking an average of 6.4 shot attempts per game, Clark could afford to score at a pace of just 6.7 points per game and compounded the ill effects with a meagre 1.5 boards and 1.6 dimes per game.

Due to several key absences late in the season, Clark averaged a sensational 24.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals, but eventually, it proved to be too little too late for the Pels.

#3 Darius Miller

Darius Miller played in Germany from 2016 to 2017.

When Miller returned from Germany, he re-signed with the Pelicans for a second stint. In his second season since his return to NBA basketball, Miller is yet to put together eye-popping numbers.

Focusing our attention on the 2018-19 regular season, Miller averaged 8.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He played in 69 games - started in 15 of them - and averaged a career-high of over 25 minutes of playtime throughout the season. His shooting percentages - from the field and downtown - dropped considerably from the last year as he ended this season with a 39% conversion from the field and 36% from beyond the arc.

With over 7 shot attempts per game(5.3 from the distance), Miller got his fair share of chances to make it rain but unfortunately, couldn't capitalise on the same.