October 7th - New Orleans Pelicans @ Atlanta Hawks - Preseason - 0-0
Pelicans Basketball is Back!!!
It's been a long summer. A lot has happened. We lost AD, Solo, Randle, Payton, and many more. We gained Ingram, Lonzo, Hart, Hayes, NAW, Favors, Redick, and Zion. Huge roster shakeup. This Pelicans team looks completely different to the Pelicans team that started last year. In many ways that's a good thing.
For a couple of years we've been trying to find the fit of the perfect pass-first PG to pair with Jrue. Rondo was the first real try, but he's lazy these days outside of the playoffs. He's a lazy assist-maker on most nights, seeking the now infamous Rondo-assist over any real creation, and he doesn't play defense anymore. The next year with Payton looked like it might have been an upgrade, but then Payton got injured. And injured again. And never looked right again after that for us. Now we have Lonzo Ball, who is the youngest of the three, the best defender, and almost certainly the best and most creative passer. The problem is his offense; will he get it going? We'll find out.
For even longer than that, we've had a hole at Small Forward. For a lot of people, it's hard to even remember the days where we had a good one. Not just serviceable, but legitimately good. Well, now we have another player stepping up to the plate. Everyone on this site knows my reservations with regards to Brandon Ingram, but although I don't think he'll ever reach that perennial all-star level some others predict for him, I'm pretty sure he can be at least better than his past seasons have shown. And he'll get all the chance in the world to show it because he'll have first bite at SF minutes, and will get plenty of chances under Gentry. Will he pan out enough for us to extend him the big contract he's gonna get? Who knows, but it will be fun to watch him and find out. Contrary to what many of you seem to think, I do want him to succeedI want every Pelican to succeed and improve.
And of course, the rookies. Zion is the big name here. He has all the potential to be the best player in the league if he puts everything together. He can defend 1 through 5, legitimately. He's explosive beyond all belief. He's strong; he can move defenders and they cannot move him. He has a handle; he can create for himself but he's not selfish because he's a willing and skilled passer. He rebounds like a demon. If he works like a mad-man over the next few seasons, I don't see any reason that he can't be the most dominant player in the NBA by the time his rookie deal is up, and that's big to think about. For his first year though, we should temper the expectations a little; everyone takes some time to adjust,and even someone like Trae Young who had a magnificent rookie year overall sucked for a few months at the beginning. Just enjoy the show.
NAW and Hayes will be fighting for minutes all year. NAW is likely to get them, looking poised to usurp Frank Jackson and possibly steal some minutes from Moore too, from pure versatility and size. He can score, he can shoot, just like them, but he can also play make and defend. Hayes is a touch less likely to get them, simply due to the fact that he's too raw to play PF and there are only so many minutes at C to go around. Favors will get them, Okafor will get them, and Zion and Melli will probably get a couple too. I think he'll play this year, but it won't be more than 50 games, and he won't average more than about 10 minutes a night in those appearances. Still, it will be fun to see him when he appears.
Tonight we play the Hawks. Honestly, I expect for us to win. I can't post stats or league rankings like I usually would here because it's pre-season, game 1. But we are the obviously superior defensive team at basically every position. We have more ball handlers and creators. Trae Young is fantastic, but we have two elite defensive guards to put on him and they both have a handy size advantage. I think DeAndre Hunter is going to be a big disappointment for them as the #4 pick: he'll be solid, but I doubt he'll live up to that draft position. John Collins is extremely gifted offensively, but if Favors is healthy and ready to go, we have the defense required to meet him and he has big gaps in his defensive ability that Zion and Favors should be able to smash through.
This should be a fun game. Of course, it's just pre-season, so it doesn't mean too much even if we do lose, and really I wouldn't expect anyone to play more than about 25 minutes. But at the end of the day, we're a few hours away from seeing the new look Pelicans take to the floor and play an actual game of basketball.
Let's get hype! Let's go! #WBD.
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Originally Posted by wuggie
