3. New Orleans Pelicans – 34 wins: UNDER
No will be a more fun League pass watch the New Orleans Pelicans, with a presumptive full year of Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram at the helm. I think sportsbooks are drinking too much of the Pelicans Kool-Aid here.
They got a massive upgrade in the offseason with Stan Van Gundy as a coach, but the Pelicans lost one of their more impactful players when they traded Jrue Holiday to the Milwaukee Bucks. Yes, the Pelicans have one of the better frontcourts in basketball (on paper), but the Pelicans backcourt is among the weakest in the West. Eric Bledsoe and Lonzo Ball are negative offensive players and asking JJ Reddick to play more than 30 minutes every night might be a tall ask.
Think about it: the Pelicans finished last season 30-42, lost one of the best two-way players in the league (and Derrick Favors), and now there are somehow five wins better?
A lot of this number is the speculation that Zion Williamson is going to develop into a lethal star. He may have a ton of highlight dunks and special passes that we can wow over on YouTube, but he’s still a young undersized forward who at 280 pounds makes me squeamish about his durability for an entire season.
And let’s not forget, the Pelicans play and the varsity Western Conference. It’ll be fierce competition up top, and no game against a western conference opponent will be easy. And when the Pelicans play one of those teams (except for OKC, Minnesota, and possibly San Antonio), they will likely be at a disadvantage with the guard matchups. The NBA season is a test of attrition and depth, and I don’t think the Pelicans are quite there – yet.