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With the Pelicans season officially over, we begin our look back at each individual player’s season and recap what we learned and where they stand with the Pelicans moving forward.
Overview
One of the few holdovers from last season to this season for the New Orleans Pelicans was E’Twaun Moore. While the veteran wing’s role was greatly reduced this season, he still stepped in and played an impactful role at valuable times, eating up some sorely need wing minutes for a team with few options on the perimeter.
But surprisingly impactful does not mean it was an efficient season. Moore’s production dropped nearly across the board. As an aging veteran on a rebuilding team, Moore could easily look to spend his final seasons on a contender looking for a ring. Or, he may further embrace the veteran mentor role he took on in New Orleans this season.
What was learned?
The 1020 minutes Moore played this season rank as the lowest since his fourth season in the league. With his minutes limited, Moore could not maintain the efficiency he did last season, dropping his field goal percentage down to 42.6% from 48.1% last season while his three-point percentage fell from 43.2% last season to 37.7% this season.
Still, Moore had his big moments this season. After two separate strings of missed games due to injuries, Moore played some of his best basketball in late December and early January as the team turned around its season, including a season-high 25 points against Houston that featured 5-of-9 shooting from range.
But take out a 16-of-32 stretch over seven games that the Houston game was apart of and Moore’s three-point shooting drops to 34.8% over the remainder of the season. As desperate as the Pelicans were for wing depth, Moore couldn’t crack the rotation consistently inside the bubble, playing in just four of the first six minuets with two of those appearances being for fewer than five minuts.
Moore provided impactful minutes at time this season and was often a steadying force in a way that he may not have expected to be this season. Even if his shooting percentages dropped, his PER only dipped by two-tenths of a point as he found ways to contribute in other areas.
What does the future hold?
As mentioned, Moore is an unrestricted free agent. On one hand, he provided value as a mentor and wing depth for New Orleans this season. On the other hand, the Pelicans likely need to get younger and Moore’s time is likely done in New Orleans unless he’s comfortable with a deep backup role.
Moore would likely be snapped up as a veteran bench piece for a contender. Even for his drop in shooting this season, he was still a 90th percentile spot-up shooter, per Synergy.