NBA Restart: How reworked rosters will shape the Western Conference
By Kyle Craib
10th: New Orleans Pelicans (⇆)
With a fresh face in town and a young team filling in the gaps that Anthony Davis left behind, the New Orleans Pelicans have clawed their way to the tenth place in the Western Conference.
After the confetti cleared and Zion Williamson, the highest-ranked prospect since LeBron James, was officially drafted to the Pelicans, Alvin Gentry and Co. went to work trying to squeeze the most talent out of this young team. Williamson finally took the floor in January, alongside new additions Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram to round out this New Orleans Pelicans roster.
After temporarily leaving the bubble to deal with a family matter, Williamson has since returned and was good to go for New Orleans’ first game back.
Not many players could play only 19 games, and still be in the conversation for Rookie of the Year, but yet here we are. Zion has feasted early on in his NBA career, averaging 23.6 points per game and shooting an efficient 58.9 percent from the field with most of his shots coming inside.
Also trying to add some hardware to the trophy case, Brandon Ingram has been making a case for Most Improved Player. Ingram has been balling this season, setting up his game, and finally using his lengthy frame to his advantage, averaging 24.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. In comparison, Ingram’s slash line is up from last year’s 18/5/3.
In terms of injury trouble, the Pelicans will be missing point two-way guard Josh Gray. Along with Gray, Darius Miller will also not join the team in Orlando as he recovers from Achilles surgery.
To fill in the empty spaces in the lineup, the Pelicans have signed Sindarius Thornwell as a substitute on the roster.
A key factor for New Orleans if they will have any form of success in Orlando will be a veteran spot-up shooter J.J.Reddick. The guard has had his fair share of playoff experience, which will be very beneficial for the young players on this team to learn from.
Sadly, despite trending in right direction, it’s tough to see this team making much noise in the West.