Fans of the New Orleans Pelicans are feeling optimistic about the upcoming NBA season.
The CJ McCollum trade last season paid almost immediate dividends, as the team won the play-in tournament and gave the top-seeded Phoenix Suns a challenge in the first round of the playoffs, and Zion Williamson looks healthy and explosive.
But as always, the Western Conference is very competitive, and several teams could end up being closely bunched together.
There is no doubt the Pelicans have talent, especially on the offensive end of the floor, and many feel they can end up improving on what they did last year.
What exactly is their realistic potential this season?
The Pelicans Have Assembled A Potent Starting Lineup
Just three years ago, superstar big man Anthony Davis demanded a trade, and once he left, it looked like it could’ve taken a while for New Orleans to get back into the playoffs.
But now, executive David Griffin, who was the Cleveland Cavaliers’ general manager during LeBron James‘ second stint there, has put together a nice team.
The Pelicans acquired Brandon Ingram in the Davis trade, and he is a perennial All-Star candidate, as well as one of the game’s better one-on-one scorers.
McCollum is a deadly 3-point shooter who can go off in big games, and he did very well after arriving in Louisiana, averaging 24.3 points a game while shooting 39.4 percent from 3-point range in 26 games with the Pelicans.
Center Jonas Valanciunas put up 17.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per game in the 2021-22 campaign, and while he may not be the strongest defender at the 5, he can occasionally block shots while helping New Orleans limit teams to one shot.
Then there is Williamson, who has shown flashes of his old, healthy self in three preseason games.
Zion Williamson showing off his explosiveness in his first NBA game in 517 days!
13 PTS (4/6 FG, 5/5 FT), 4 REB in 15 MINSpic.twitter.com/9tTnBtEhCV
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 5, 2022
Watch out for Zion 💪 pic.twitter.com/Kw6DhGaL6P
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 8, 2022
For the entire 2021-22 season, the Pelicans averaged just 109.3 points per game, which was 21st in the NBA while also finishing 19th in offensive rating, but late in the season they got going on that end of the floor, averaging 113.8, 117.5 and 114.2 points a game in February, March and April, respectively.
That could be a preview of what they could do this season.
The Missing Piece
What the Pelicans don’t have right now is a top-flight point guard who can run the show and put pressure on opposing defenses.
Their starter at that position is expected to be McCollum, who, despite averaging 5.8 assists per contest after being traded to them, isn’t a natural point guard or distributor.
New Orleans’ backups at point guard are Jose Alvarado and Devonte’ Graham, both of whom are solid contributors but not exactly candidates to make an All-Star team.
Last season, Graham started 63 of his 76 games and put up 11.9 points and 4.2 assists a game while shooting only 36.3 percent from the field.
The Other Concern
The Pelicans aren’t exactly a good defensive team, and there is little reason to believe they will make a big jump in that department.
They ranked 20th in defensive rating last year, and although a few of their key players, such as Ingram, have the potential to be good defenders, it hasn’t happened, at least not yet.
A Reasonable Prediction
Given the depth of talent in the West, it appears the best the Pelicans could realistically do is finish sixth in the conference, which would get them to the playoffs while bypassing the play-in tournament.
Until Griffin lands a high-level true point guard (not necessarily an All-Star but just a very good player), they will be a team that appears to be young and promising but is missing a couple of pieces that could make it a contender.
NEXT: Brandon Ingram Discusses His Passion For Basketball