1 Surprising fatal flaw in starting 5 could derail the New Orleans Pelicans season

In order to salvage their season, the New Orleans Pelicans may have to shake up their starting 5.

It may not be exactly all that surprising that the New Orleans Pelicans are 2-3 through the first five games of the season, especially when you consider that the team's prized offseason acquisition, Dejounte Murray, was injured during the first game of the season. Even though there weren't a ton of expectations on their shoulders heading into the year, the Pelicans have a talented enough roster that they should be in the playoff race for the majority of the year, assuming they can remain healthy.

But if there is one troubling trend that has emerged for the Pelicans early on this season, it revolves around the dynamic between Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, two of the team's cornerstones of the franchise. Through the first five games of the season, the Pelicans are being outscored by nearly 18 points per 100 possessions when Zion and Ingram are on the floor together. While their offense is slightly better when they share the court, which should be expected, the team's overall defense tanks from borderline average to amongst the league's worst.

It's a small sample size for the season but at what point do the Pelicans begin to wonder if this starting 5 is the right fit with each other? It's probably a conversation that is already being discussed behind closed doors. But at some point, if these numbers don't get any better, New Orleans will have a big decision to make. Thankfully, the uncertainty of Ingram's future does make the situation slightly easier to handle.

Is it time for a Brandon Ingram trade?

All throughout the offseason, much of the noise surrounding the Pelicans revolved around the potential trade of Ingram. Even though nothing came to fruition, not much has changed on the Ingram front. The two sides still haven't publically made strides toward a contract extension and with every passing day, there's a greater chance that Ingram is going to leave in free agency - potentially for nothing.

If this negative trend continues, the Pelicans can't help but explore a potential trade of Ingram. It's never a good idea to trade your leading scorer but that's where the Pelicans may find themselves at this point in the season. If they eventually want to take a step forward, and still don't plan on paying Ingram, taking a bit of a step back this season by trading him might be a necessary evil.

The next few weeks will go a long way in deciding the outcome for the Pelicans this season but with their sluggish start to the season, the whispers are only going to grow louder and louder. At a certain point, the Pelicans will no longer be able to quiet the outside noise. And maybe, just maybe, the evidence is pointing toward a big in-season trade for the franchise.