Halo

In order for the New Orleans Pelicans to qualify for the postseason, they must make adjustments from last season. Both new and returning players will fail to accomplish this feat on their own. A concentrated team effort to improve will serve as the only path toward success.

While injuries contributed to the Pelicans' 12th-place Western Conference finish last year, specific aspects of their performance caused them to struggle as well. Mainly, numerous factors on the defensive end hindered their ability to compete.

Adjustments must occur in the following areas for New Orleans to obtain a playoff spot this season.



Paint Protection



Despite boasting 2013-14's league-leading shot-blocker in Anthony Davis (2.8), the Pelicans ended the year 20th in points allowed in the paint per game at 43.8.

They gave up 102.9 total points per contest, meaning 42.6 percent of the points New Orleans allowed were scored at or near the rim. Clearly, paint protection proved a major issue last season, especially considering the team did have Davis.

However, through the addition of 7'0" center Omer Asik, expect the ballclub to dramatically enhance its inside presence.

Asik will not only fill the Pelicans' need for a high-quality 5 (something the squad sorely lacked last year) but will significantly affect the opposition's ability to even attempt to score at the basket.

Through statistics from Asik's final season with the Houston Rockets, David Fisher of SB Nation notes the Turkish center's dominant defensive impact:

This season Asik came off the bench to spell Dwight Howard, 2nd Team All-NBA Center this season and three time Defensive Player of the Year. Despite that when Asik was on the court opponents attempted fewer shots at the basket (27.7% when on the court vs. 32.7% off) and converted more often (57.3% on the court, 62.1% off) during the 2013-2014 Regular Season.

If Asik provides this same level of effectiveness alongside Davis in 2014-15, the Pelicans will rise up the ranks as paint-protectors. Consequently, they'll boast a better opportunity to vie for a playoff spot.

The Pelicans have allowed 37.3 points in the paint per game through three preseason contests thus far. As long as the team continues and/or builds on this trend, their regular-season play stands to benefit.



Foul Limitation



New Orleans allowed opponents to shoot 26.5 free throws per game last year—good for 29th in the league.

Since the average free-throw percentage for teams in 2013-14 sits at 75.6, the Pelicans gave up roughly 20 points per game from the charity stripe. In essence, almost one-fifth of their total points allowed per contest occurred as a result of free-throw opportunities.

The main reason for this is simple: New Orleans just failed to limit their fouls.

Rather than conservatively contest shot attempts, the Pelicans resorted to hacking offensive attackers. Their 27th-place finish in personal fouls per game at 22.6 perfectly highlights this issue.

For the squad to increase their postseason odds in 2014-15, players must focus on defending intelligently by limiting fouls. If they successfully do so, the amount of free throws allowed will diminish.

A big reason for New Orleans' struggles is explained through the output of Alexis Ajinca and Greg Stiemsma—the two centers who logged the most minutes when Davis played power forward last season. Trevor Magnotti of FanSided elaborates:

Stiemsma and Ajinca fouled at comical rates in 2013-14, with Ajinca being the more serious offender. Stiemsma fouled at an even 6.0 fouls per 36 minutes, and while he’s a decent rim protector otherwise, he has consistently been a foul collector throughout his career, and that limits his effectiveness.

Meanwhile, Ajinca was even worse, fouling 7.1 times per 36 minutes and collecting five or more fouls 14 times in 56 games despite playing about 17 minutes per game.

It is evident much of this problem resulted from poor center play. Fortunately for the Pelicans, however, the adjustment this year will prove manageable.

As mentioned earlier, Asik is set to start at the 5-spot. Averaging an exceptional 3.6 fouls per 36 minutes last season, the big man should help lower New Orleans' fouling rate.

Mix this with Davis' 3.1 fouls per 36 minutes, the departure of Stiemsma and the possibility of 5-man Jeff Withey—who averaged 3.8 per 36—playing off the bench over Ajinca, and it seems feasible the ballclub will improve. In result, the playoffs will be more attainable.

The Pelicans have averaged an atrocious 25 fouls per game so far in the preseason. While this does look worrisome, keep in mind the team's bench has played the most minutes.

Everybody on New Orleans—both big men as well as perimeter defenders—must make a conscious effort to limit fouls. Otherwise, much like last year the franchise's overall defensive performance will suffer.



Second-Half Defense



In relation to other ballclubs last season, the Pelicans fared well defensively in the first half of games, finishing 12th in first-half points allowed per contest at 49.8.

However, their second-half average tells a completely different tale.

Rather than giving up equal or fewer points in the final 24 minutes, New Orleans consistently allowed opponents to score more. Consequently, the Pelicans ended the year 27th in second-half points allowed per game at 51.9.

This may not seem too significant, as the point differential is representative of one basket. But when the 15-spot drop in rank is considered, it becomes clear that their second-half defense was a major issue.

Essentially, this fall indicates that the Pelicans faltered when most teams upped their defensive efforts. The squad failed to follow the trend, which subsequently affected the outcome of many games negatively.

This type of second-half decline won't fly for the Pelicans this season, at least if they're striving for a postseason bid.

Out of the eight playoff teams in the West last year, five gave up more points in the first half than the second. The three that didn't—the Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs—can be considered exceptions: Houston only allowed 0.6 more points in the second, Memphis boasted a top-three defense and San Antonio allowed the sixth-fewest total points per contest.

Strong defensive play down the stretch is critical for winning games, especially in the competitive Western Conference. For the Pelicans to adjust, they must focus on enhancing their second-half endurance.

Fortunately, it seems players are entering the season with an understanding of conditioning and its importance.

According to Randy Ayers—an assistant coach with New Orleans—some athletes have been working since mid-August, via Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune: "Now this is one of the first places I've been where we've had a lot of guys in, especially the young guys in, in mid-August. And they were ready to go. Even Ryan Anderson was in on (August) 20th and that's a good sign. They were all back and put in good time."

This is exceptional, as it shows the squad is determined to improve and attain peak physical fitness. If the roster focuses on utilizing conditioning correctly, it's possible the Pelicans will succeed in raising their second-half defense.

Currently, New Orleans is allowing 45 second-half points per game in the preseason. As long as the team performs at or close to this level throughout the year, expect the playoffs to sit within reach.



Unless otherwise noted, all stats are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and TeamRankings.com.

Josh Haar is a NBA writer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JHaarNBA.

Read more New Orleans Pelicans news on BleacherReport.com



More...