EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Lakers complete a short road trip Tuesday in New Orleans.

Here are three things to consider while watching their game against the Pelicans:

1. Remember when the Lakers were the third-best three-point shooting team a month into the season? Not many people do.

Los Angeles made only five three-pointers Sunday against Phoenix — their fewest in a game since December 2019. They tumbled to 23rd in the league from deep as two guys in particular struggled the other night.

Wesley Matthews was scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was marginally better — seven points on two-for-seven shooting. Neither player did much defensively, either. Matthews was minus-16 in only 16 minutes, and Caldwell-Pope was minus-17 in the plus-minus department.

Times are tough without LeBron James and Anthony Davis without a doubt. There’s no way the Lakers’ offense moves as efficiently without their two all-stars. But making only five from behind the arc is a non-starter for any short-handed team trying to scratch out a win.

2. The NBA’s most unpredictable team might be New Orleans.

In the last month alone, we have seen:

• Good Pelicans: defeating Denver, Utah, and the Clippers (by 20)
• Bad Pelicans: losing to Minnesota, Chicago, and San Antonio

The Pelicans' defense is the culprit. When it’s good, it’s good. When it’s bad, it’s really bad — which is most of the time. Their defense is ranked No. 28 in the league.

Their offense is a fun, dynamic thing to watch, but the same can't be said about everything else. New Orleans doesn’t force many turnovers or offer a whole lot of rim protection (27th in the league in blocked shots). It’s the main reason for their 18-24 record and muddled 12th-place standing in the Western Conference.

3. This is one of the quietest run-ups to the trade deadline that I can ever remember.

The only two significant moves this month were P.J. Tucker getting traded to Milwaukee and Trevor Ariza going to Miami. That’s two veteran rotation players winding down their careers.

Perhaps it’s too quiet leading up to Thursday’s noon deadline — or perhaps not.

The Lakers have two open roster spots but aren’t compelled to fill them before Thursday. The veterans’ buyout period, which starts immediately after the trade deadline, could be of more interest to them.

Andre Drummond might be sprung free from Cleveland (finally) and can choose his own destiny if bought out of the $11 million he’s owed the rest of the season. The Lakers would of course be interested, even though his contract expires in a few months and he’ll become an unrestricted free agent. There aren’t many big-man options beyond Drummond.

LaMarcus Aldridge might be bought out by San Antonio, but reports peg him to landing in Miami. JaVale McGee would help the Lakers if he’s bought out by Cleveland, but Drummond, a two-time All-Star, is the splashier target.

Bottom line: The more realistic time and place for the Lakers to acquire some help is this weekend, if not early next week, if Drummond takes a little time to determine his landing spot.