After Stamping Their Ticket To The Play In Tournament The New Orleans Pelicans Are Easily One Of The Best Stories Of The Season
The NBA can be a funny league at times. On one end of the spectrum, you had the Pelicans, a team that got off to a horrendous 1-12 start with players they acquired from the Lakers for Anthony Davis. You know, the Lakers, the team that everyone said was going to win the Finals. The team ESPN wouldn't shut the fuck up about no matter what. Well, fast forward 6 months and we live in a reality where those 1-12 Pelicans will be participating in the playoffs-lite and the Lakers well....they'll be at home. Not because they had a top 8 seed and aren't in the play in, but because they are 17 games under .500 and are in the lottery. That's right, those 1-12 Pelicans will finish the year with a better record. Life sure does come at you fast!
Here's the thing with this Pelicans group though. There is real talent on this roster! Since the trade deadline, they're 13-12 which is a better record than teams like BKN, UTA, LAC, CHI, and CLE if you wanted to keep things to just playoff teams. They own the 7th best offense, 9th best defense, and 6th overall net rating in the league since that February 10th date. They are not a pushover! They're for real! Remember, they're doing this all without Zion who was essentially a guaranteed 25 point scorer on 60% shooting the second he stepped on an NBA court. To get an idea of what this means to the Pels, all you have to do is listen to their coach
It was so important that the Pelicans nailed their coaching hire after so much turnover in recent seasons, and while things maybe didn't look too hot to start, that's why they play all 82. I'd say things look pretty good for Willie Green at the moment. Just look around the league at first year head coaches. It's not always roses. Sure there's Ime Udoka and his 49 win Celtics, but he's working with a franchise further along in their rebuild with better overall talent. You look at Chauncey Billups and the Blazers, and that's certainly more the norm for a rebuilding team with a first time head coach. So what Green was able to do with his roster, amid injuries and trade deadline deals is pretty damn impressive.
So how did this all happen? First it was finding the right coach. Check. Then it was all about finding some good young talent in the draft. Check and check. May I present Herb Jones, Jose Alvarado, and Trey Murphy III. It's no bullshit that Herb Jones could make an All NBA Defensive team as a rookie. He's been that awesome. Trey Murphy shot 38% from three in 59 games as a rookie for a roster that needed shooting. Jose Alvarado is a pesky as hell guard who went from undrafted to a 4 year deal. All three of these dudes look like draft hits which is so important for a small market rebuilding team.
But the rest of the roster isn't too shabby either. Devonte Graham is a microwave scorer off the bench, Brandon Ingram continues to take some leaps and can be a #1 guy as long as he stays committed to defense. Jaxon Hayes is emerging as a quality young big and another draft hit, and then JV is holding it down in the center spot. He's not flashy but he sure as hell is productive. Then there's the latest piece, CJ McCollum. To say that CJ has fit in like a glove really doesn't do it justice. Since joining NO at the deadline, CJ is putting up
25.7/4.8/6.1/1.3 on 50/39% splits with 2.8 3PM a night
Essentially, he's playing the best overall basketball of his career in his 23 games as a Pelican. The fit has been perfect for everyone involved. This young roster got a proven veteran who has a skillset they desperately needed, and the player got a roster and system that allowed him to maximize his talents. That's how you hope every trade works out when you first call it into the league.
Now they have homecourt in the play in for the moment and you have to like their chances given how they're playing recently (7-3 in their last 10). If they take care of the Spurs and have to face the Clippers or Wolves, I'll simply remind you that the Pelicans were 3-1vs LAC and 2-2 vs MIN this year. In a single elimination game they can absolutely win given the talent on that roster. Sure the reward for that achievement wouldn't be all that fun considering it means you play the wagon Suns, but whatever just getting into the legit postseason is a huge thing for this team. Those playoff reps matter for young players, even if you get swept. It's all part of the rebuild process. For a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2017-18, that would be pretty huge.
But first they have to get past the Spurs, another team that is sneaky tough to play recently. Pretty wild that both of these teams will be playing next week and neither of them have LeBron James on their team. Imagine that.