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The New Orleans Pelicans continue to have a season riddled with injuries. As star point guard Dejounte Murray recovers from hand surgery, Zion Williamson and company have dealt with several health setbacks to key players.
Adding to the Pelicans' struggles were recent injuries to CJ McCollum and Herb Jones who both missed Wednesday night's loss to the Golden State Warriors. And the bad news unfortunately continued for head coach Willie Green's team.
Both McCollum and Jones are set to miss Friday night's matchup against Indiana, according to the Pelicans' official injury report on nba.com. McCollum is being listed as out with right abductor soreness, while Jones, who luckily avoided major shoulder surgery, is out with a right shoulder strain.
The Pelicans are falling behind in the West
It's been a slow start to Zion Williamson's “vengeance” quest in his sixth year in New Orleans. The Pelicans currently sit at 2-3, twelfth in the West Conference. It's super early in the season, but the struggles have been apparent, especially on offense, for Willie Green's team. New Orleans is now second last in the league in offensive efficiency.
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Brandon Ingram, whose name has been in trade rumors this offseason, is the Pelicans' current leading scorer at 22.4 points per game. After him is McCollum, at 18.8 points per game, and then Williamson, who's only averaging 18.3 points a contest on 36.4% from the field.
For a team that ranked 14th in offensive efficiency last year, the Pelicans will need to improve in this category if they are going to be serious contenders in the Western Conference this year. So far this season, the Oklahoma City Thunder have looked the part of a major contender, leading the conference at 4-0.
Close behind them are the Golden State Warriors who look rejuvenated, specifically on defense, where they rank second in efficiency on that side of the ball. And outside of the Portland Trail Blazers are a ton of teams in front of the Pelicans in the standings that have a realistic shot at contending for a playoff spot.
With all of this in mind, the Pelicans are facing another potential season in the Play-In or even outside the top ten of the Western Conference if they don't fix their offensive woes and get healthy soon.
One player that might be key to helping the franchise stay afloat amid the injuries is Jordan Hawkins. The 2023 lottery pick out of Connecticut is putting up 16.2 points per game on over 40% from three-point range.
So far, Hawkins looks ready to live up to the expectations Willie Green placed on him heading into the season. But time will tell if Jordan's contributions can help propel the franchise to their first playoff series win since 2018.
