New Orleans Pelicans: 3 players to watch heading into 2019-20

Exploring three key players to watch this season, as the New Orleans Pelicans prepare for the 2019-20 campaign

The New Orleans Pelicans are one of the more intriguing teams in the NBA coming into the 2019-20 season. They lost their top two scorers from last year as superstar center Anthony Davis and forward Julius Randle was shipped out of town. And yet, there’s a lot of excitement in New Orleans.

One reason for that is due to the haul the Pelicans got back for the Davis trade to the Lakers. They brought in Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart, along with the No. 4 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, which they flipped in a trade with the Hawks for the No. 8 and No. 17 picks. Those picks turned into center Jaxson Hayes and guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

The other reason for excitement is the fact that the ping-pong balls bounced their way and they landed the No. 1 pick in the draft, which turned out to be the prize of the draft, Zion Williamson.

The Pelicans, unfortunately, are forced to swim in the very deep waters of Western Conference, so it will be extremely difficult to make the playoffs. But they will perhaps be the most interesting lottery team in the NBA. If they do make it to the postseason, there will be key contributions from three players – Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball, and Jaxson Hayes.