NBA Realities

New Orleans Pelicans Vice President David Griffin wants the team’s franchise player, Zion Williamson, to expand his shooting range. Griffin said on October 1st that he wants Williamson to take more jump shots during the 2024-25 season.

“Shoot more of the shots he’s capable of shooting that he never seems to take,” Pelicans executive vice president David Griffin said. “Zion can really shoot the ball. I think we are looking at his offseason as an opportunity for him.”

Zion Williamson’s tendencies

Griffin’s statements are ill-advised, as jump shots have not been featured in Williamson’s shot profile since college. According to Hoop Math, Zion took 72% of his shots at the rim as a Duke Blue Devil, averaging 9.5 per game. He shot 79.2% at the rim in college. 

Williamson has continued to take most of his shots at the rim with the Pelicans. He averages 8 shots per game within 3 feet of the basket, 63.4% of his field goal attempts, and 10.2 points per game. Williamson has excelled within 3 feet, averaging 14.4 points per game on 70.4% shooting.

Williamson’s tendencies have led him to take only 36.6% of his shots from beyond 3 feet. According to Bleacher Report, he struggled outside of 3 feet at Duke.

Williamson mostly relies on his physical tools and athleticism for generating offense. He needs to improve his shot-creation in the half court, particularly given his suspect shooting stroke. Williamson made 24 threes in 33 games (1.0 per 40 minutes), 64.0 percent of his free throws and only 2-of-12 pull-ups all season.

Williamson hasn’t improved his outside shooting in the NBA.  He is shooting 31.3% beyond 3 feet on 5.9 attempts. Therefore, Griffin’s desire to have Williamson take more jump shots is moronic but that’s no surprise given his tenure in New Orleans.  
 

David Griffin’s history in New Orleans

Griffin has chosen to build rosters that don’t maximize the organization. During his Pelican tenure, Williamson has played for three head coaches Alvin Gentry, Stan Van Gundy, and Willie Green. Those coaches have run an offensive system that features ball movement.  

The team has ranked fifth in passes per game over the last five seasons, averaging 300.9. New Orleans’ system has helped the team rank 10th in assists, averaging 26.1 per game. Those assists led to 67.6 points per game.  

Despite the good production,  New Orleans has left points on the table because of David Griffin’s decisions.  Griffin was hired by the team in 2019, two months before they drafted Williamson. During his first offseason with the Pelicans, he significantly changed the roster.

David Griffin trades Anthony Davis

On July 6th, 2019, David Griffin traded Anthony Davis to the Lakers for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and three first-round draft picks. At the time of the trade, Ball and  Ingram had a career three-point percentage of below 33%. During their tenure in New Orleans, Ball was the only player who improved his three-point percentage for the long haul because he changed his shooting form.

Prior to this season, Ball’s shooting form involved him bringing his right hand — his shooting hand — across his body and releasing the ball to the left of his head. This year, with the help of Pelicans assistant coach Fred Vinson, the third-year guard has modified his shooting form, in hopes of turning around what has been a dreadful start from the field to his NBA career.

Now, Ball’s shot looks a little more traditional. The ball is being released on the right side of his head. And it took some work getting there.

“We just take it step by step,” Ball told ESPN. “It wasn’t a drastic change from the beginning. I kind of got here and he just started with my follow-through. We started with legs after that. Then we started from the left to the middle to get it to the right.”

Ball’s revamped shooting form led to shooting 37.6% behind the arc on 7.2 attempts in two seasons with the Pelicans. Although Ball is a success story, Griffin’s decision to willingly surround Williamson with subpar floor spacers was dumb. Griffin continued to surround his franchise cornerstone with the same players.

Griffin acquires more below average shooters

On  November 23rd, 2020, Griffin traded Jrue Holiday to the Milwaukee Bucks in a 4 team trade for Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe, 2 first-round picks, and 2 pick swaps. Before the trade, Adams and Bledsoe shot below 34% behind the arc.

One would assume Griffin should have learned from his mistakes during his first two seasons with the team. Unfortunately, he is still on the same path. On July 6th, 2024, the team acquired Dejounte Murray in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks. Murray has a career shooting percentage of 34%.

Griffin’s unwillingness to surround Williamson with the right players to complement his tendencies has hurt the team. During Griffin’s tenure, the team ranks 22nd in three-point attempts, averaging 32.4 per game. They are shooting 35.9% from behind the arc, 16th in the league.

The team’s roster construction has made the game harder for Williamson as there are more defenders near the basket due to the team’s shot profile. He has led the league in heavily contested shot attempts since 2019, averaging 3.6 per game. Williamson’s statistics have been the catalyst behind the Pelicans ranking seventh in heavily contested shot attempts since 2019, averaging 3.6 per game.

Despite David Griffin’s unwillingness to build a roster compatible with Zion Williamson’s skills, the team is 99-85 with him on the floor.

Although New Orleans has been an above-average team, it would benefit them to acquire more shooters. If David Griffin makes this change, Williamson should get more uncontested shots near the basket because defenders would stay closer to their assignments.