Should the New Orleans Pelicans be concerned with their poor results in the midst of Zion Williamson’s tremendous play?
There might not be a hotter player in the NBA right now than Zion Williamson. What he has done over the last six games has been nothing short of spectacular. Still, despite his brilliant play, the New Orleans Pelicans can’t seem to shake off their rough start to the season.
After losing five of their last six games, the Pelicans are 12-17 and three and a half games out of the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. While Zion continues to excel during his second season in New Orleans, the Pelicans continue to struggle mightily.
There are positives to find for the team, but the fact that the Pelicans can’t seem to play with any type of rhythm right now, there are more questions than answers for the team heading into the NBA Trade Deadline.
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And perhaps that might be the biggest reason why the team is more willing to trade J.J. Redick and Lonzo Ball than many expected them to be at the start of the season. Before the season, many believed that the Pelicans could be not just a surprise playoff team but one that could potentially make a deep run.
New Orleans is one of the most talented young teams in the league and that’s been evident with the play of Zion and Brandon Ingram this season. Though, the excellent play of their dynamic duo hasn’t led to much on-the-court team success.
Over the last six games, Zion is averaging 30 points, five rebounds, and four assists per game on an exceptional shooting percentage. Still, the Pelicans are 1-5 during that stretch. That includes an epic collapse against the Phoenix Suns in the fourth quarter Friday night.
In another week or two, the Pelicans could very well find the playoffs out of reach. Interestingly enough, that could open the door for even more trades. At this point, despite the excellent play of Zion, you can’t help but feel like the Pelicans are going to be more of a seller than a buyer at this point.
It may not be time for the Pelicans to panic just yet, but with the way that Zion Williamson is playing their start to the season can’t be a good indication for this team’s immediate future. New Orleans needs something to jumpstart this team and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be the play of Zion Williamson.