What a difference ping pong balls make. Despite finally relenting on a once-steadfast refusal to trade Anthony Davis, the New Orleans Pelicans enter 2019-20 with more excitement and optimism surrounding the franchise's long-term outlook than ever. But just because Zion Williamson won't be ready to dominate the NBA as a rookie hardly means the rebuilt, revamped Pelicans won't factor into the Western Conference playoff race this season.
Here's what to know, watch for, and expect of New Orleans in 2019-20.
Roster
The overwhelming majority of rookies aren't impact players during their debut campaigns, but Williamson stands a world apart from his present and past peers. He'll immediately become one of the most devastating transition players in the NBA, and make enough plays on both sides of the ball in the halfcourt by sheer athleticism alone to emerge as a quality starter at 19-years-old. Williamson is highly unlikely to be the Pelicans' best player this season, though, and maybe not even their second or third most positive performer, a testament to the brilliant job new chief decision-maker David Griffin did reworking the roster after winning the lottery and trading Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Williamson will eventually come to define New Orleans, but for now that distinction belongs to Jrue Holiday. While Griffin's offseason talk of Holiday crashing the MVP conversation this season is little more than hopeful bluster, it's nevertheless an indication of his rare two-way effectiveness in the backcourt. His job will be made far easier offensively in 2019-20 due to the presence of both Lonzo Ball, at his best in an uptempo system like Alvin Gentry's, and J.J. Redick, who unlocks so many opportunities for his teammates by sprinting around screens in the halfcourt, stoking fear in multiple defenders.
The Pelicans are quietly one of the deepest teams in the league. It's unclear who will start next to Holiday in the backcourt, but it won't be E'Twuan Moore. He followed up a breakout 2017-18 campaign last season by proving it wasn't a total fluke, cementing himself as an upper-echelon tertiary scorer. Mid first-round pick Nickeil Alexander-Walker looked like a future star at Summer League, and New Orleans remains high on Frank Jackson.
In theory, Gentry could address that crunch of worthy rotation players and limited minutes in the backcourt by sliding Moore and Jackson to small forward, but Brandon Ingram complicates things. Best suited for power forward at this point due to his middling long-range jumper, he'll receive a lion's share of minutes at small forward as the Pelicans evaluate him ahead of restricted free agency next summer – unless the sides reach an extension before the late October deadline, an unlikely development. Any remaining minutes on the wing will likely go to Josh Hart, who disappointed last season as the Lakers' designated “3-and-D” player but enters 2019-20 fully healthy.
Williamson will be most dynamic playing small-ball center both now and going forward. But he probably won't see much time there as a rookie after the Pelicans traded for the rock solid Derrick Favors, who's gradually grown more comfortable shouldering rim-protecting responsibilities and began taking corner threes last season. It was initially presumed Jaxson Hayes would spend most of his NBA debut in the G-League, an assumption that bears revisiting after his stellar Summer League performance. Kenrich Williams deserves a look at power forward following an impressive rookie season, as does European import Nicolo Melli, a deadeye shooter. Jahlil Okafor could factor in up front, too.
Expectations
Winning the lottery relieved any immediate pressure on New Orleans this season. Instead of punting on the present to prioritize the future, Griffin added multiple veterans in July to ensure the Pelicans could keep their head above the waters of playoff contention while waiting for Williamson and other young players to come into their own.
The Western Conference, per usual, is absolutely stacked. As many as six teams believe they have realistic title hopes this season, and it would be foolish to expect the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs to miss the playoffs. The Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, and Minnesota Timberwolves could be much-improved, too.
Are the playoffs likely for the Pelicans? No way, but don't be surprised if they're in contention for one of the last two seeds in the West come the All-Star break, a rational expectation given their enviable depth of talent, lineup flexibility, and the mouth-watering potential of Williamson – even as a rookie.
Notable Games
10/25 vs. Dallas Mavericks – New Orleans will be there on opening night as the Toronto Raptors accept their championship rings, but the home-opener three days later will be a far better indication of how an often indifferent fan base has reacted to a wildly successful summer, and more importantly, how this team stacks up against another postseason hopeful.
11/27 vs. Los Angeles Lakers – The first matchup between Williamson and LeBron James, who are bound to occasionally find themselves going one-on-one? Enough said.
12/25 at Denver Nuggets – The Pelicans' first Christmas game since 2015 will be a golden opportunity for Gentry to roll with Williamson at the five for extended stretches. Can Nikola Jokic keep up? Will Williamson's low center of gravity help him stonewall the MVP candidate in the post?
4/15 at San Antonio Spurs – The season finale could prove the difference between either New Orleans and San Antonio advancing to the postseason or watching the action from an early vacation.
Projected Record: 37-45
The Pelicans are more of an unknown than any other potential playoff team in the NBA. In the Eastern Conference, they would be something close to playoff shoo-ins, maybe even fighting for home-court advantage if scraping their ceiling. But out West, considering the strength of the conference as well as the roster's lack of continuity and collective penchant for injury, New Orleans stands poised to fall a bit short of the postseason.
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