Looking back at what the New Orleans Pelicans did right and wrong during the 2018 NBA offseason, including free agency and the draft
It’s hard to judge the New Orleans Pelicans and their offseason.
On paper and from a raw talent standpoint they have definitely gotten worse, losing DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo in free agency. New signings Julius Randle, Elfrid Payton and Jahlil Okafor are all low-risk additions, but none can truly replace the outgoing players.
In reality, though, the Pelicans might be better equipped to handle those losses than many think. After all, they did get better after Cousins was ruled out for the second half of last season with a torn achilles.
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The team was 27-21 before the injury, and went 21-13 without their star center to close out the regular season. Add to that a stunning upset sweep of Portland in the playoffs, and New Orleans have some cause for optimism heading into the new season.
That’s not to say that Cousins was or is bad – he played phenomenally well before the injury, and was arguably better than Davis over that span. Without him, though, Davis was able to go to another level which could make the Pelicans even better next season.
Their ceiling as a team still rests on the shoulders of their monobrowed monster, and his continued development will determine their success or failure. Even a continuation of his play from the second half of last year could see them make a big jump – he averaged 30.2 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.2 blocks and 2.0 steals after Cousins went down, and forced his way into a seemingly closed MVP race.
The health of Davis and All-Defensive guard Jrue Holiday will be the other major factor going forward. Both players have struggled with injuries during their time as teammates, but last season showed their potential as a duo when healthy.
Their performance in the playoffs grabbed the attention of the league, and that momentum could continue into the new season if they can both stay on the court.
Of the team’s offseason additions, Julius Randle is the most interesting. It’s hard to know how he will fit next to Davis, but when AD goes to the bench he should be able to play as a small-ball five alongside Nikola Mirotic.
He started to figure things out in the second half of last season, controlling his aggression and bullying his way into the paint more and more often. Despite playing the least minutes per game of any of his full seasons, he averaged a career high in points (16.1) and shot a much-improved 55.8 percent from the field.
The Pelicans will be hoping that he can find an outside shot, but even without it he has the chance to be an impact role player at worst, and a high-level starter at best.
Payton is a solid playmaker and defender but is yet to show any consistency shooting the ball, and Okafor is a low-risk flyer that doesn’t really fit with the franchise’s core, even if he pans out. They replace the bodies that were lost in free agency, but they don’t move the needle from a talent perspective.
New Orleans lost some firepower this offseason, but if Davis can continue to blossom it might not matter. They won’t have the talent to challenge the league’s top teams, but we could at least find out AD’s true ceiling as a transcendent player.