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After a 1-12 start to their campaign, NBA fans thought the New Orleans Pelicans would tank the 2021-22 season, especially with the continued lengthy absence of superstar Zion Williamson. However, coach Willie Green and company decided to push on the acceleration and catapulted themselves to a realistic chance of snatching a spot in the play-in tournament.
Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas have been leading the charge with their consistent fantastic performances this season. Herbert Jones, Devonte' Graham and Josh Hart have been incredible role players as well. Unfortunately, Hart was dealt to the Portland Trail Blazers before the NBA trade deadline as the centerpiece of the package. In return, New Orleans received talented shooting guard CJ McCollum, who has already been phenomenal in his few games with the Pelicans.
Even with the terrific acquisition of McCollum, there are still many questions surrounding the outlook of this squad.
New Orleans Pelicans' Burning Questions After 2022 NBA All-Star Break
3. When is Zion going to play?
It is the biggest mystery to ask any NBA fan because no one can give a brilliant answer to this looming question. Zion Williamson's current foot injury was not publicized until the beginning of training camp, and there have been no significant updates from his camp this 2022. Moreover, Williamson's playing weight has been a cause for concern since his college days as it still does not seem to improve at the NBA level.
With the addition of McCollum to shore up their backcourt depth, having Williamson makes them one of the toughest squads to guard offensively. They have the right mix of slashers and shooters along with the interior presence to man the paint. Running a small-big or vice versa pick and roll would be a lethal scheme, but these will all just be “What Ifs” if Williamson doesn't return to the floor.
2. Do the Pelicans have enough playmaking?
One could easily forget that the Pelicans just had both two of the best facilitators in the league in Jrue Holiday and Lonzo Ball on their lineup. They barely got time together playing as a complete unit, along with the hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. New Orleans decided to go on another direction and sent Holiday to the Milwaukee Bucks for a slew of draft picks, while Ball was dealt to the Chicago Bulls this past offseason.
That has drastically decreased the playmaking on the Pelicans, as the one guard rotation of Green is composed of Graham and Jose Alvarado. Graham is more of a shoot-first guard, which could be a disadvantage for scorers alongside him like McCollum and Ingram. On the other hand, Alvarado specializes on his defense and hustle with still a ton of improvements necessary on his playmaking.
1. Can their bench supplement their starters?
Over the course of this discussion, a ton of praise and adulation were given to the first unit of the Pelicans when they are 100% healthy. Even with a superb starting lineup, Green must also have reliable, skillful and selfless role players that would flourish in their own roles. Alvarado and Jaxson Hayes have been stepping up lately for New Orleans.
Even with the sudden uptick in impact and production for these two young studs, the consistency is the major challenge for inexperienced guys like Alvarado and Hayes. Hart was a spectacular role player who was willing to do the dirty work every night, but now it is only Jones who has been a staple on that facet of the game for New Orleans. Green must continue developing a hard-nosed and relentless bunch that would be a tough out against the more talented franchises in the play-in tournament like both Los Angeles teams or the Minnesota Timberwolves.
