Trey Murphy III and Saddiq Bey have made nearly half of their catch-and-shoot threes this season, yet the Pelicans rank next to last in producing those attempts.

New Orleans is attempting 31.3 threes per game, ranking 29th in the NBA, and making just 30.9% as of Monday afternoon. The Pelicans are getting limited production from a shot that can create separation, erase deficits, and give their interior scorers more room to operate.

There are successful offenses that take fewer threes, but low volume puts a premium on accuracy. The Pelicans have neither working in their favor, continuing a familiar problem under a coach whose previous teams also struggled to shoot.

The numbers point toward a practical place to start: create more catch-and-shoot opportunities for Murphy and Bey.

Pelicans' old problem needs a different answer

New Orleans hasn't always struggled to make threes. In 2023-24, the Pelicans shot 38.3% while attempting 32.6 per game. Their high accuracy helped compensate for their limited volume. That balance has deteriorated.

The Pelicans shot 34.7% in each of the following two seasons, with attempts falling from 34.6 per game in 2024-25 to 32.1 last season.

Mosley's arrival didn't come with an established shooting solution. His final three Orlando teams shot 35.2%, 31.8%, and 34.3% from deep. Roster makeup matters in those results, but improving perimeter production was always going to be a significant part of his assignment in New Orleans.

So far, the Pelicans have continued moving in the wrong direction. Just 34.1% of their field-goal attempts are threes, down from 38.5% two seasons ago.

Increasing that share requires some judgment. More attempts from the wrong players or in unproductive situations could create more empty possessions.

The shooting breakdown offers a better roadmap for success.

The shot that works deserves more opportunities

New Orleans has made 22 of 60 catch-and-shoot threes, shooting 36.7%. That ranks tied for 12th in the league. Its 20 attempts per game rank 29th. Only Sacramento takes fewer.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans are 7-for-34 on pull-up threes, shooting 20.6%. Bennedict Mathurin, Dejounte Murray, and Jeremiah Fears have combined to miss all 13 of their attempts.

Murphy's results make the contrast particularly clear. He is 6-for-11 in catching and shooting, and 1-for-6 on pull-ups. He averages only 3.7 catch-and-shoot three-point attempts in 33.3 minutes.

Bey is 5-for-12 on catch-and-shoot threes. Together, they are shooting 47.8 on those opportunities. The rest of the team is at 29.7%.

Their histories give Mosley even more reason to get them more shots. Murphy has made more threes than anyone in franchise history. Bey is coming off the best three-point shooting season of his career.

Creating more opportunities for them would build on established strengths. Both should be centerpieces of New Orleans's perimeter offense, with their shooting helping complement the players who do their best work inside.

Getting downhill is only part of the job

The Pelicans also have to make more of the opportunities already available.

They are shooting 32.5% on open and wide-open threes. Murphy and Jordan Poole have combined to make just three of 15 wide-open attempts. Better conversion from players expected to supply shooting would help immediately.

But the offense's problems extend beyond missed shots.

New Orleans ranks seventh in tracked drives per game and is tied for seventh in passes from those drives. It shoots 51.4% on drive attempts. Those attacks have value, and simply demanding more penetration misses what the Pelicans already do.

The challenge is getting more perimeter production alongside it.

The numbers on their own can't tell us whether spacing, passing decisions, or play design explains the low catch-and-shoot volume. They do show that New Orleans generates relatively few attempts from a category in which it has been much more accurate.

Mosley has a clear priority. He has to increase the opportunities for Murphy and Bey to catch and fire, and reassess the pull-up attempts yielding so little return elsewhere.

The Pelicans have two shooters with a track record and an offense searching for answers. More of its possessions should be designed to connect the two.