The 2021–22 New Orleans Pelicans season was the 20th season of the New Orleans Pelicans franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). On June 16, 2021, coach Stan Van Gundy agreed to part ways with the Pelicans after one season.[1] The Pelicans soon hired Willie Green as the next head coach.[2]
| 2021–22 New Orleans Pelicans season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Willie Green |
| General manager | Trajan Langdon |
| Owners | Gayle Benson |
| Arena | Smoothie King Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 36–46 (.439) |
| Place | Division: 3rd (Southwest) Conference: 8th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | First Round (lost to Suns 2–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Bally Sports New Orleans |
| Radio | WWL-FM |
On December 15, Devonte' Graham, who was acquired from the Charlotte Hornets in the offseason, hit an improbable 61–foot shot to hoist the Pelicans to a 113–110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The shot set the NBA record for the longest buzzer–beating game–winner in league history, beating out Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf's 55–foot shot in 1992 for the Denver Nuggets, 109–106 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.[3][4][5]
Despite finishing the season with a 36–46 record and being 10 games under .500, the Pelicans managed to qualify for the play-in tournament after a win over the Sacramento Kings, followed by a Lakers loss to the Suns on April 5, 2022.[6] They defeated both the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Clippers in the Play-In tournament to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2018, becoming the first team to qualify for the postseason with a 36–46 record since the Boston Celtics in 2004. They faced the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round where they lost in six games.[7]
Draft
edit| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College / Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Ziaire Williams | SF |  United States
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Stanford (Fr.) |
| 2 | 35 | Herbert Jones | SF | United States
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Alabama (Sr.) |
| 2 | 40 | Jared Butler | SG | United States
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Baylor (Jr.) |
The Pelicans currently hold one first-round pick and two second-round picks entering the draft.[8]
Roster
edit| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Roster Notes
edit- Power forward Zion Williamson missed the entire season due to foot and knee injuries.
Standings
editDivision
edit| Southwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Memphis Grizzlies | 56 | 26 | .683 | – | 30–11 | 26–15 | 11–5 | 82 |
| x – Dallas Mavericks | 52 | 30 | .634 | 4.0 | 29–12 | 23–18 | 14–2 | 82 |
| x – New Orleans Pelicans | 36 | 46 | .439 | 20.0 | 19–22 | 17–24 | 6–10 | 82 |
| pi − San Antonio Spurs | 34 | 48 | .415 | 22.0 | 16–25 | 18–23 | 6–10 | 82 |
| Houston Rockets | 20 | 62 | .244 | 36.0 | 11–30 | 9–32 | 3–13 | 82 |
Conference
edit| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | z – Phoenix Suns * | 64 | 18 | .780 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y – Memphis Grizzlies * | 56 | 26 | .683 | 8.0 | 82 |
| 3 | x – Golden State Warriors | 53 | 29 | .646 | 11.0 | 82 |
| 4 | x – Dallas Mavericks | 52 | 30 | .634 | 12.0 | 82 |
| 5 | y – Utah Jazz * | 49 | 33 | .598 | 15.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x – Denver Nuggets | 48 | 34 | .585 | 16.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x – Minnesota Timberwolves | 46 | 36 | .561 | 18.0 | 82 |
| 8 | pi – Los Angeles Clippers | 42 | 40 | .512 | 22.0 | 82 |
| 9 | x – New Orleans Pelicans | 36 | 46 | .439 | 28.0 | 82 |
| 10 | pi − San Antonio Spurs | 34 | 48 | .415 | 30.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Los Angeles Lakers | 33 | 49 | .402 | 31.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Sacramento Kings | 30 | 52 | .366 | 34.0 | 82 |
| 13 | Portland Trail Blazers | 27 | 55 | .329 | 37.0 | 82 |
| 14 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 24 | 58 | .293 | 40.0 | 82 |
| 15 | Houston Rockets | 20 | 62 | .244 | 44.0 | 82 |
Game log
editPreseason
edit| 2021 preseason game log Total: 1–3 (home: 1–0; road: 0–3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason: 1–3 (home: 1–0; road: 0–3)
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| 2020–21 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
edit| 2021–22 game log Total: 36–46 (home: 19–22; road: 17–24) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 1–6 (home: 0–4; road: 1–2)
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November: 5–11 (home: 3–3; road: 2–8)
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December: 7–5 (home: 4–2; road: 3–3)
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January: 5–10 (home: 4–4; road: 1–6)
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February: 7–4 (home: 2–4; road: 5–0)
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March: 8–7 (home: 5–4; road: 3–3)
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April: 3–4 (home: 1–2; road: 2–2)
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| 2021–22 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Play-in
edit| 2022 play-in game log Total: 2–0 (home: 1–0; road: 1–0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Play-in: 2–0 (home: 1–0; road: 1–0)
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| 2021–22 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs
editGame log
edit| 2022 playoff game log Total: 2–4 (home: 1–2; road: 1–2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 2–4 (home: 1–2; road: 1–2)
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| 2022 playoff schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
Regular season
edit| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herbert Jones | 78 | 69 | 29.9 | .476 | .337 | .840 | 3.8 | 2.1 | 1.7 | .8 | 9.5 |
| Devonte' Graham | 76 | 63 | 28.4 | .363 | .341 | .843 | 2.3 | 4.2 | .9 | .2 | 11.9 |
| Jonas Valančiūnas | 74 | 74 | 30.3 | .544 | .361 | .820 | 11.4 | 2.6 | .6 | .8 | 17.8 |
| Jaxson Hayes | 70 | 28 | 20.0 | .616 | .351 | .766 | 4.5 | .6 | .5 | .8 | 9.3 |
| Trey Murphy III | 62 | 1 | 13.9 | .394 | .382 | .882 | 2.4 | .6 | .4 | .1 | 5.4 |
| Garrett Temple | 59 | 16 | 18.6 | .376 | .319 | .683 | 2.4 | 1.3 | .7 | .4 | 5.2 |
| Brandon Ingram | 55 | 55 | 34.0 | .461 | .327 | .826 | 5.8 | 5.6 | .6 | .5 | 22.7 |
| Naji Marshall | 55 | 4 | 13.4 | .405 | .200 | .796 | 2.6 | 1.1 | .6 | .1 | 5.7 |
| Jose Alvarado | 54 | 1 | 15.4 | .446 | .291 | .679 | 1.9 | 2.8 | 1.3 | .1 | 6.1 |
| Nickeil Alexander-Walker† | 50 | 19 | 26.3 | .375 | .311 | .722 | 3.3 | 2.8 | .8 | .4 | 12.8 |
| Willy Hernangómez | 50 | 8 | 16.8 | .520 | .333 | .773 | 6.8 | 1.3 | .4 | .4 | 9.1 |
| Josh Hart† | 41 | 40 | 33.5 | .505 | .323 | .753 | 7.8 | 4.1 | 1.1 | .3 | 13.4 |
| Gary Clark | 38 | 1 | 9.9 | .375 | .400 | .700 | 2.4 | .5 | .3 | .2 | 2.7 |
| Tomáš Satoranský† | 32 | 3 | 15.0 | .299 | .161 | .760 | 2.0 | 2.4 | .4 | .0 | 2.8 |
| CJ McCollum† | 26 | 26 | 33.8 | .493 | .394 | .667 | 4.5 | 5.8 | 1.3 | .0 | 24.3 |
| Kira Lewis Jr. | 24 | 0 | 14.2 | .404 | .224 | .833 | 1.6 | 2.0 | .5 | .0 | 5.9 |
| Tony Snell† | 15 | 2 | 18.5 | .446 | .396 | 1.000 | 2.1 | .5 | .5 | .1 | 5.9 |
| Larry Nance Jr.† | 9 | 0 | 20.2 | .551 | .500 | 1.000 | 4.3 | .9 | .6 | .8 | 7.3 |
| Tyrone Wallace | 6 | 0 | 12.5 | .350 | .250 | .200 | 1.3 | .2 | .5 | .2 | 2.8 |
| Jared Harper | 5 | 0 | 8.6 | .538 | .417 | 1.000 | .4 | 2.8 | .8 | .2 | 7.4 |
| Alize Johnson† | 4 | 0 | 7.0 | .300 | .750 | 3.3 | .3 | .5 | .0 | 2.3 | |
| Didi Louzada† | 2 | 0 | 3.5 | .000 | .000 | 1.0 | .5 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
Playoffs
edit| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Ingram | 6 | 6 | 39.3 | .475 | .407 | .830 | 6.2 | 6.2 | .7 | .3 | 27.0 |
| CJ McCollum | 6 | 6 | 39.0 | .392 | .333 | .692 | 6.7 | 4.8 | .7 | .8 | 22.2 |
| Herbert Jones | 6 | 6 | 37.7 | .477 | .417 | .773 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 1.8 | .8 | 10.7 |
| Jonas Valančiūnas | 6 | 6 | 29.2 | .485 | .167 | .769 | 14.3 | 3.0 | .7 | .2 | 14.5 |
| Jaxson Hayes | 6 | 6 | 13.8 | .560 | .000 | .636 | 2.5 | .2 | .0 | .3 | 5.8 |
| Larry Nance Jr. | 6 | 0 | 21.7 | .564 | .222 | .818 | 5.8 | 1.8 | .5 | .3 | 9.2 |
| Trey Murphy III | 6 | 0 | 20.0 | .409 | .474 | .800 | 2.5 | .5 | .5 | .2 | 5.2 |
| Jose Alvarado | 6 | 0 | 19.5 | .485 | .375 | .769 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.2 | .2 | 8.0 |
| Devonte' Graham | 6 | 0 | 10.0 | .333 | .357 | .875 | 1.5 | .7 | .2 | .2 | 4.0 |
| Naji Marshall | 6 | 0 | 9.3 | .700 | 1.000 | 1.0 | .8 | .2 | .2 | 3.0 | |
| Willy Hernangómez | 1 | 0 | 2.0 | .250 | .000 | 2.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 2.0 | |
| Garrett Temple | 1 | 0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
- † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Pelicans only.
Transactions
editTrades
edit| July 29, 2021[9] | To New Orleans Pelicans Cash considerations |
To Philadelphia 76ers 2021 No. 53 pick |
References
edit- ^ "New Orleans Pelicans and Stan Van Gundy mutually agree to part ways". NBA.com. June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ "Willie Green named New Orleans Pelicans head coach". NBA.com. July 22, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
- ^ "Watch: Devonte' Graham beats Thunder with NBA record buzzer-beater". Fansided. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- ^ "Devonte' Graham Hit A 70-Footer At The Buzzer To Stun The Thunder". Uproxx. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- ^ "Pelicans' Devonte' Graham makes miraculous 3/4-court, game-winning buzzer-beater to stun Thunder". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- ^ "Pelicans clinch spot in play-in; here's how it works". wwltv.com. April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ Kosel, Oleh (April 29, 2022). "Pelicans eliminated from playoffs by Suns after 115-109 loss, but this isn't goodbye". The Bird Writes. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ "2021 NBA draft order: Complete picks for the first and second round". espn.com. June 22, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ "Pelicans complete trade with 76ers". NBA.com. July 29, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.