New Orleans Pelicans
I didn’t think that Jrue Holiday would be on the New Orleans Pelicans for much longer, but the Pelicans still won by acquiring center Steven Adams. He will bring toughness to a team that wasn’t good on defense last season despite having Holiday.
As expected, the Pelicans locked up Brandon Ingram when they gave him a five-year max extension for $158 million. Ingram is coming off the best season of his career in which he averaged 24 points, four assists, and six rebounds per game.
Those numbers were good enough not only to give him a max contract, but he won the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the year award. The Pelicans were able to get Eric Bledsoe in a trade, which will help their depth at the point guard position.
The Pelicans fired coach Alvin Gentry but replaced him with Stan Van Gundy, who is a proven coach in the NBA. He should immediately make their defense better, but their playoff hopes will rely on the health of Zion Williamson.
Grade: A