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The New Orleans Pelicans have booked a playoff spot after winning against the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2022 Play-in Tournament. Now seeded at the eighth spot, they will be matched up against a tough opponent in the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs.
Brandon Ingram is expected to get his numbers as the main focal point of their offense. The Pelicans' mid-season acquisition in CJ McCollum is also bound to get his fair share of opportunities on the floor. With his craftiness on offense as well as his playmaking abilities, the 30-year-old shooting guard will surely be a sizable contributor in the Pelicans' first-round matchup against the Suns.
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Pelicans’ X-Factor vs. Suns
Aside from them, New Orleans' true X-Factor in the opening round would be Herb Jones. Defense has always been the calling card of the Alabama product after becoming a two-time SEC All-Defensive Team and SEC Defensive Player of the Year in his collegiate stint with the Crimson Tide.
With his style of play, it wasn't a surprise that Jones was able to carry over his defensive prowess in the NBA in just his rookie season. After being a diamond in the rough, many have already noticed his potential as he is already carving out a sizable role for himself on a Pelicans team that is aiming to make noise in the playoffs this season.
On March 27, Jones recorded a career-best six steals in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers which only speaks of his capabilities to make an impact on the defensive end. He concluded the regular season with an average of 1.7 steals and 0.8 blocks in 78 games played.
Now matching up against the Suns, the 23-year-old will be up for a tough challenge as he will have to cover multiple players who can score for the opposing team. Chris Paul and Devin Booker are expected to lead the backcourt attack while Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges are going to be threats on the wings for Phoenix.
For someone like Jones, he will have to ensure that he gets to play defense at a high level all series long in order for the Pelicans to have a shot at beating the loaded Suns. The Alabama native will also have to put his entire focus on defense as a handful of his teammates can take care of the offensive load, namely Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, and Jonas Valanciunas, among others.
In fact, he did just that in their Play-in game against the San Antonio Spurs where he only notched 12 points but generated two steals and two blocks in 37 minutes of action. By sticking to what was needed of him, the Pelicans were able to hold Dejounte Murray to only 16 points en route to a 113-103 win.
Heading into the first round, Jones' role is not expected to change as he will be seeing heavy minutes with the primary goal of limiting the offensive production of opposing players. All in all, a ton of things have to align for New Orleans to pull off an upset victory against a Phoenix side that has seen great success in the regular season.
However, if Jones gets to deliver solid performances on defense and the rest of the Pelicans click on offense then this series will be tighter than many have expected it to be.
