Folks, here we go again. The wait is over and the new season begins. Preseason starts for us today with game one, versus the Wolves. Here's the injury report:
Jonas Valanciunas is doubtful for Monday's preseason game
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) October 3, 2021
Injury Report: https://t.co/WLQp2qZHaW#Pelicans | @MorrisBartLLC
Zion is out, as expected - we were told he may be ready for Game 1, but I think we all knew that meant *Real* game 1, not preseason - and JV is doubtful.
It's been a long, often very dull summer with a quick burst of stuff in the last 2 weeks or so. Some of it has been annoying and absurd, some of it has been interesting and fun, but all of it now gets to be put to the test. Any negatives we have will very probably improve dramatically with success, and any positives may quickly turn sour with failure. The games begin and with it being the 3rd year of Zion's rookie deal, Ingram's 3 year here, and with Jax and NAW having rookie extensions upcoming, now is the time for the Pelicans to begin winning games for real - next year may well be too late. Playoffs or bust this season, no consolation prizes.
So let's see how the squad looks. How will Trey Murphy look playing alongside Ingram, NAW, Devonte, Hart? How will the minutes be handled at forward with Zion out - I assume we see a healthy amount of Naji and Herb?
Willie Green said recently that he likes the idea of a 10 man rotation, and potentially more sometimes - will this manifest in a frustrating Gentry-esque confusion where 13 guys play in the first quarter, or will he simply be a highly adaptable coach who adjusts on the fly a lot? Will we see more multi-guard lineups, chaining NAW, Devonte, Hart, and Kira together, or will we lean harder on the forwards and see some Ingram/Naji/Trey/Herb minutes? It's preseason, anything could happen!
Let's enjoy it. The Pelicans play October 4th.