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The New Orleans Pelicans had a lot of faith in this season. The offseason addition of Jonas Valanciunas was supposed to add another weapon to their talented offensive lineup. Unfortunately for Pelicans fans, it has turned horrible. Constant injury issues for Zion Williamson only added to the horrific start of their season. Even though Jonas Valanciunas is playing great, the rest of the team is not adding up. A lot of things went wrong for the Pelicans, but they are still one game away from the 10th spot in the West. They still have a chance to make the play-in tournament, so here are two things the Pelicans need to turn it around.
Pelicans Turning Points
Activity in the trade market for specific areas
The Pelicans need to be active before the trade deadline. They have some areas of their team that need major improvement, and there are options around the league. According to Basketball Reference, the Pelicans are in the bottom ten of the league in many categories. Those include all three-point metrics, where they are 27th in three-pointers made, 25th in three-pointers attempted, and 21st in three-point percentage. They are also just 26th in field-goal percentage, which is truly abysmal.
Clearly, the Pelicans need at least two players to really turn it around. One of them that makes the most sense is Kemba Walker. The recently rejuvenated New York Knicks guard has been out of the rotation but impressed in the last couple of games. While he has played well, it is still unknown whether the Knicks would include him in the rotation going forward. The Pelicans need to pounce on this opportunity, as Walker showcased great efficiency in his last couple of games for the Knicks.
Another player that might help them is Myles Turner. It is still unknown how much he would cost, in terms of resources, but if the Pelicans want to reach the playoffs or at least the play-in tournament, they need to be on the phone with Indiana. Turner is an efficient big-man, who is shooting over 50% from the field for the second time in his career. He would add another inside presence and would be a great player to add to the rotation. Figuring out the rotation once Williamson comes back would be a challenge, but Turner is a must-have for the Pelicans.
There are also other possibilities, but the Pelicans really need offense right now. With Walker and Turner, they would get two great weapons, and it is especially Walker who could use his experience to lead this relatively young roster. Turner would provide a great inside presence in both offense and defense, and provide the Pelicans with some second-chance points using his ability to get offensive rebounds. It would not be the ultimate solution for all issues the Pelicans have, but it would be a start.
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Get Zion Williamson healthy and going as soon as possible
Williamson has been injured since the start of the season. According to Sporting News, Williamson fractured his right foot and it was recently announced he had another setback. No one is saying when he will be back, which might be for the better. Pelicans fans have been teased over and over again with the return of Williamson to the lineup, just for him not to be there. However, the Pelicans badly need Zion to come back – and stay healthy.
In his last season, where he played 61 games, Williamson averaged 27 points, 7.2 rebounds, and shot 61.1% from the field. Losing that outright would hurt teams that have a better overall roster than the Pelicans. However, what the Pelicans are living through this season cannot be explained simply by saying they miss Williamson. Rather, it has to be said that they completely collapsed.
Thus, they need to get him back as soon as possible, and they need to keep him healthy. It does not look too well for the Pelicans that almost all pictures taken of Williamson show that he is overweight, which could further set him back. What they need to do is take control of the situation, and make sure that when he is fully healthy, Williamson can help right away. It would be unrealistic to expect the numbers mentioned above right away, but if the Pelicans can put him in a good situation before he is done rehabbing from the injury, Williamson can take less time to get going.
As stated above, these are not the ultimate solutions for the Pelicans' riddle. However, they are a start and they can help build a winning foundation for a franchise that really needs that. If this losing culture is continued, the Pelicans will ultimately lose even Williamson, which is not ideal for them. With reports that he is unhappy already surfacing, there should be red alarms in New Orleans.
