The New Orleans Pelicans are set up for success when NBA restarts
One of the most exciting teams in the league this year was the New Orleans Pelicans. Thanks to rookie sensation Zion Williamson, this team has become everyone’s league pass darling. As the season is set to resume, all eyes will be on the Pelicans as they push for the playoffs.
Right now, the Memphis Grizzlies hold the 8th seed in the West, but the Pelicans are the one team that stands a true threat to that. The reason why the Pelicans are such a threat is because of their offense, which has actually been borderline elite.
In this new scenario of a play-in tournament, it is really possible that the Pelicans offense can push them on a March Madness-style run into the playoffs, which is a great thing for this team’s future.
More from Sir Charles In Charge
- Dillon Brooks proved his value to Houston Rockets in the 2023 FIBA World Cup
- NBA Trade Rumors: 1 Player from each team most likely to be traded in-season
- Golden State Warriors: Buy or sell Chris Paul being a day 1 starter
- Does Christian Wood make the Los Angeles Lakers a legit contender?
- NBA Power Rankings: Tiering all 30 projected starting point guards for 2023-24
The key to this team is pace; they have the ability to throttle teams with a run-and-gun style that will totally tire out their opponents. Team schedules haven’t been set yet, but there’s a chance that their schedule could look something like this: Kings (twice), Clippers, Spurs, Grizzles (twice), and the Magic.
With a majority of those teams preferring to play at a slower pace, the Pelicans have a chance to go out, set the tone, and tire out their opponents with speed. For the season, the Pelicans are fourth in the league in points with 116 per game. For all the questions about their shooting, they actually rank third in 3’s made a game with 14.
On top of the scoring, the team is tied for second in assists at 27 per game, and second in pace with 104 possessions per game. This team runs an offense just how head coach Alvin Gentry likes it, fast and frantic which makes nearly every game a track meet.
The Pelicans have some true x-factors too, though that can actually make them even better not only for the rest of this season but for the future. The first being the addition of Zion Williamson.
While the Pelicans have only gone 9-8 in games with their full starting lineup including Zion, analytics suggest that the team is actually very good. With Zion in the fold, the Pelicans pace goes up to a league-best 108 possessions a game, and their offensive rating sky-rockets to an elite level.
Most importantly, Zion added to elite defensive players like Jrue Holiday and Lonzo Ball, the Pelicans’ weakness in their 27th ranked defense goes up to an outstanding defensive rating as well. At the very least, a formidable one.
However, there’s actually a player who might be even more of an x-factor to this team than Zion is actually, and that’s Lonzo Ball. Why Lonzo?
Well, in Alvin Gentry’s time as a head coach in the league the most success he’s had has always been with a pass-first point guard that has amazing vision. Don’t believe it? Look at Gentry’s 2010 Suns team that made it to the Conference Finals with Steve Nash. Then, look at his best season with the Pelicans when they made the second round of the playoffs. A big part of that was having veteran Rajon Rondo running the offense.
This season, Lonzo Ball has shown why he was the second pick in the draft, he may never be a 20-point scorer, but he is one of the best passers in the league. With the ball in his hands setting up the offense, the Pelicans’ future beyond just this season is bright.
Lonzo is averaging seven assists per game, and it might be better if the Pelicans actually put the ball in Lonzo’s hands more. Boosting his usage rate from 18 percent to somewhere in the mid-20s (like Nash and Rondo on past Gentry teams) might actually continue to make New Orleans better.
An elite facilitator who can hit Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and bench shooters like JJ Redick in their sweet spots could make the Pelicans offense a force for the rest of the season. It wouldn’t be unrealistic to imagine the Pelicans getting the 8th seeding and maybe pushing the Lakers to six games.
A devastating screen-and-roll combo of Lonzo and Zion could become the type of offensive engine that sets up a team for a decade-plus of success. With the team in an amazing position having a slew of future draft picks as well, they can continue to build their defense and add off-ball shooters.
If this Pelicans team gets bold and flips some assets for another elite star like a Bradley Beal or a Myles Turner, we could even see this Pelicans run-and-gun offense develop into a perennial championship contender as well. It’s all in the hands of Lonzo Ball and Zion Williamson.