We’ve almost reached the halfway point for our SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 at Day 17. With that in mind we present to you our pick for our 17th team, a group in which me personally and probably all NBA fans are excited to watch this season, the New Orleans Pelicans.
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17. New Orleans Pelicans: Can the new roster for New Orleans prove themselves?
I know what you’re thinking, because I’m thinking the same thing, “This video isn’t even the same team as it is now!”, and you’d be completely right, it isn’t. And frankly, there are so many good and bad reasons that associate with it. The Pelicans finished with a record of 48-34, placing 6th in the Western Conference. They unfortunately exited the NBA Playoffs in the Second Round to the Golden State Warriors. Despite the success that the team had last season, it was nothing short of tragic. The Pelicans moved on from their, what they thought to be, perennial Superstar in Anthony Davis, choosing to rebuild their entire roster. During that point of the season last year regarding the Davis drama, the Pelicans seemed to be in a dire situation.
From that point to now, the Pelicans organization has made moves in ways that we as fans were caught by surprise. In a situation where we most of us believed that the Pelicans were down for the count, they’ve put their heads down and gathered a roster of players that in the long-term will be a terrifying team to face. This is without saying that their roster now isn’t a force to be reckoned with, but the amount of youth on this team can be a make or break factor for them throughout the course of the season.
Looking into the this Pelicans squad, the names on this roster are players that we as NBA fans are excited to watch play together. From the young (previous) Lakers core in Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and Brandon Ingram, to the more seasoned veterans in Jahlil Okafor, J.J. Reddick, and Jrue Holidae. It also goes without saying that one of the biggest names in the NBA or even sports overall in this day in age is the first-round pick of this year’s NBA Draft in Zion Williamson. Like I said already, if given a couple of years to iron out the issues that a young, new team will face, the Pelicans will more than likely find themselves contending in the Playoffs consistently. Despite the excitement that a roster like this would bring upon the NBA, there is no need to raise the white flag if they have some bumps along the road. Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and Brandon Ingram were really coming into their own last season with the Lakers, and they now have the opportunity to really showcase themselves on this new team. With veteran leadership under the likes of J.J. Reddick and Jrue Holidae, the development of this team should be interesting throughout the course of the season.
I’d like to take some time to focus on 6’7 rookie forward Zion Williamson. We all know him to be an absolutely electrifying player on the floor, and I personally believe that everyone wants to see him do well in the league. But fans should also remember that the kid is exactly that, a kid. He’s going to go through the ups and downs throughout the course of the season, in fact, the entire team most likely will. This is exactly why, despite having loads of potential and talent that goes through the roof, I believe that this Pelicans team will definitely be apart of the Playoff race. The only thing that really stops them from making the Playoffs is themselves, however. If they managed to play their style of basketball and do so effectively, I don’t see why they can’t make the Playoffs as one of the lower seeds.
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