NBA: Positive takeaways for the 6 teams eliminated from the bubble

New Orleans Pelicans: Zion is healthy

Well that was a disaster, right? The New Orleans Pelicans went to Orlando thinking they could make a run at the playoffs but left with a head coaching vacancy and the worst record of the Western Conference bubble teams.

But for all the things that went wrong for New Orleans in Orlando, they still have a healthy Zion Williamson. Zion may have looked out of breath, disengaged on defense, and not ready for playoff-style basketball, but he’s healthy. And given the strict minutes’ limits and overly-cautious usage, it’s pretty clear that his health was the Pelicans’ highest priority during the restart.

But despite a disappointing trip to Orlando, the sky isn’t falling for the Pelicans. They’ll have to replace their head coach, but if they can bring their top 7 rotation players back then they’ll be a popular pick to make the playoffs in 2021.