The New Orleans bench ranks 30th in the NBA in points per game (20.6), but in fairness to the team’s reserves, it is also just 28th in minutes played, meaning Pelicans subs have had less of an opportunity to contribute than every second unit in the league other than Chicago’s and Toronto’s backups.
The group made a positive step forward in a narrow home loss Wednesday, when it totaled 28 points and shot 12/22 from the field, holding a statistical edge over a very deep Atlanta bench (25 points, 8/28 shooting). Jaxson Hayes and Trey Murphy III scored eight points each, while guards Garrett Temple and Kira Lewis Jr.