Mannix’s NBA Notebook: Pelicans’ Slide Puts Willie Green Under Pressure

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Greetings, from Boston, where I watched a surprisingly electric game between the Celtics and Jazz on Monday. Stock up on Utah, which beat Boston on the second end of a back-to-back. Lauri Markkanen is off to a terrific start and Keyonte George is looking more and more like a high-level NBA point guard. Stock down on the referees, who somehow missed a slide tackle by George on Jaylen Brown in the closing seconds of the game.

First, a few free throws …

Willie Green’s seat is already warm in New Orleans

The Pelicans are 27th in offensive rating. They are 29th in defensive rating. They are 30th in net rating, nearly two full points worse (-17.5) than Brooklyn. They trailed Oklahoma City by 36 points on Sunday, and in the fourth quarter, with MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander playing zero minutes, were outscored by five.

Green, in his fifth season in New Orleans, is far from the only problem. Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones have struggled with their shots and injuries to Dejounte Murray and Kevon Looney have taken away two key rotation pieces. But there is no mistaking the Pels’ lack of effort. When that happens—and when the new boss, Joe Dumars, didn’t hire the coach—there’s one person who usually pays the price.

Austin Reaves’s hot start

If there’s been a silver lining to early season injuries to LeBron James and Luka Dončić it’s that it has opened the door for a bigger role for Austin Reaves. And Reaves has crashed right through it. Reaves scored 51 points against Sacramento last month. He had another 28—including the game-winner—a few days later against Minnesota. There will be some adjusting once James returns, but Reaves’s early season scoring binge is a great sign for the Lakers’ ability to compete in the Western Conference.

Is it time to take the Bucks seriously?

Milwaukee is 5–2 after Giannis Antetokounmpo’s jumper salvaged Myles Turner’s homecoming against Indiana on Monday. Yes, the Bucks have needed absurd production from Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak leads the NBA in scoring (34.2 points per game) and is producing well above the levels of his MVP seasons. But Kyle Kuzma has settled nicely into a sixth man role. AJ Green is shooting 56% from the floor and 51% from three-point range. As a team Milwaukee is shooting 41% from three, good for second best in the NBA and what would be the highest percentage in franchise history. Is it sustainable? We’ll see. But so far, so good.