The NBA season is set to restart on July 30th and the race for the 8th seed will be in its final stretch. 8 regular season games to decide the 8th seed, with potentially play-in games for that final spot. Today, we look at the Pelicans’ case to make it.
Another team like the Blazers; The Pelicans are way better than their record actually shows. They haven’t had Zion Williamson for most of the season, as he has only played 19 games. And if you don’t think Zion is a game-changer, you’re wrong.
Zion’s impact on the Pelicans has been huge. They’re 11-9 since his return (he didn’t play in one of the wins), which is way better than their 18-27 without Williamson available. He hasn’t been injury prone since his return, only missing one game and even playing in back-to-backs, something that we see less of when a player is dealing with injury concerns. He is averaging 24 and 7, with 3 of those rebounds coming off the offensive glass on 59% shooting and 46% from 3, albeit on limited attempts.
His shooting touch isn’t there yet, but he is a bully in the paint. He’s too quick for big men, too strong for wing players and then has an insane vertical with a quick jump. He is a unique player in this league and there hasn’t been a real answer for him yet. The Pelicans could be very dangerous once Zion starts getting familiar with the style of play of the rest of the team.
And let’s talk about the rest of the team. Jrue Holiday has been the league’s most underrated player for the past 3 to 5 years now. His defense is elite, he can create, and he can score. He’s averaging 20, 5, 7, 2 and 1 on the season with good efficiency. He’s also a very good leader, and the Pelicans will need him to be as they’re still extremely young. Holiday might not be a superstar, but no one likes matching up against him. If the Pelicans and the Blazers both manage to overtake the Grizzlies, we might be in for part 2 of Jrue versus Dame.
Brandon Ingram was selected to his first All-Star game this year, and deservedly so. Ingram is the first option on the team and is averaging 24, 6, 4, 1, 1 on 47% from the floor and 39% from deep. He picked up right where he left off last year, before a dangerous blood clot ended his season, and thus his tenure with the Lakers, abruptly.
And the 2 other players they got for Anthony Davis, being Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart, have also been great additions to the team. Lonzo loves pushing the tempo and Alvin Gentry’s Pelicans have been known for their fast style of play. Before the season went into lockdown, Zo was averaging 14, 7, 8, 2 and 1 on 49% from the floor and a surprising 46% from 3, in a span of 16 games. Zion being there might have played a big part in his progression.
Their bench also has a few dangerous players. J.J. Reddick is a guy who can always get hot, Jaxson Hayes has a tremendous amount of size and athleticism, Nicolo Melli and E’Twaun Moore can shoot the ball well and Josh Hart brings the hustle and defense.
Derrick Favors has been a very valuable player too, averaging 9 and 10 with a block on 62%. The only knock on Favors is that he doesn’t provide enough height, and that might be a problem against the Blazers, Grizzlies or even the Lakers.
And height is the biggest problem for this Pelicans team. Jahlil Okafor and Jaxson Hayes are the only 2 players 6-10 or above, and they are still liabilities on the court. The Blazers, Grizzlies and the Lakers have 3 solid rotation pieces like that. This might form a problem in those potential play-in games and the first round. On the other, they can go really small, which has been the wave throughout the NBA the past couple of years. But will that be sustainable in a playoff atmosphere? We’ll see, starting July 31st.
Courtside 