New Orleans Pelicans (11th in Western Conference)
The next team on the list, the New Orleans Pelicans, have all but solidified a run to the playoffs with the blockbuster trade that came late Sunday night.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins has been shipped off (or told to stay) in NOLA.
Sources: Kings agree to trade DeMarcus Cousins to Pelicans. @WojVerticalNBA report. https://t.co/PFbgwlmnLx pic.twitter.com/O2VqBwyyFM
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) February 20, 2017
With the addition of DeMarcus Cousins, the Pelicans should be in the conversation for the fifth and sixth spots in the Western Conference. A talented big man like Boogie can stretch the defense just the same as Anthony Davis and potentially be more of a threat.
Cousins shoots a higher three-point percentage (35.4) compared to Davis (30.6) while Davis out rebounds Cousin (12.0) to (10.7) and is a much better shot-blocking force with his length and vertical leap.
New Orleans Pelicans
Together, Cousins and Davis have the opportunity to get 60 plus points a game and pull down somewhere around 30 rebounds to go along with.
On the perimeter, the Pelicans have Jrue Holiday averaging (16.3) points per game and shooting (.393) from behind the arc, outside of Holiday the next scoring threats are E’Twuan Moore (9.8) and Terrence Jones (11.5).
The trade for Cousins should help to alleviate Coach Alvin Gentry’s offensive woes, the Pelicans rank (27th) in the NBA in offensive ratings per 100 possessions.
With defense serving as the identity for this team, they rank (9th) in defensive rating per 100 possessions. Down the stretch, the Pelicans defense will keep them in more games than not in a stacked Western Conference.
The Pelicans sit (2.5) games out of the No. 8 spot and face some of the league’s best in order to make it into the postseason. The good thing is that the Pelicans will get some relief facing 15 teams with a losing record versus the other 10 games versus teams with a winning record after the break.