Pelicans Film Recap: Three key plays from New Orleans vs. Sacramento Kings

Defensive miscues from the onset on Thursday against the Sacramento Kings spelled doom for the New Orleans Pelicans.

At the point in the game of the third clip, Bogdanovic is certifiably on fire. The Pelicans’ subs are in the game and are surely aware that he is on fire. In fact, they probably received instructions on him before checking in.

That makes this miscommunication inexcusable. Bogdanovic sets up for a back screen from the weakside corner before, again, slipping the screen. Again, the Pelicans aren’t expecting it as Josh Hart and Nicolo Melli get caught in two minds between switching or staying with their men. And as a result, again, Bogdanovic gets a wide-open three.

Obviously, the Pelicans aren’t going to make their scouting reports available. But if Gentry is able to specifically mention a sequence that twice led to open Bogdanovic three-pointers after the game, it’s safe to assume it was mentioned at some point in the lead up to the game.

As much as fans look to blame coaching, if players aren’t executing a scouting report, there’s nothing coaches can do. Their job is to prepare the players and give them the necessary information to succeed. It’s up to the team to execute.