When the New Orleans Pelicans drafted Zion Williamson, excitement was the one word that came to mind surrounding this organization because they had finally found the face of their future. Also having All-Star forward Brandon Ingram, the Pelicans looked to immediately solidify themselves as a threat in the Western Conference.
Since drafting Zion first overall in 2019, the Pelicans have been to the playoffs once in 2022, putting up a fight against the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round. While this series presented a lot of optimism to New Orleans, success has been hard to come by due to Williamson's inability to be on the floor and available for his team.
Injuries have plagued the young star through the first four years of his career, as he's only played in a total of 114 games since entering the league, which is a total of 37 percent of the Pelicans' total games in this span. The only way New Orleans can begin to find growth is if their superstar is healthy, a title he finally carries into training camp ahead of the 2023-24 season.
“Zion is obviously in good condition,” David Griffin, the team's executive vice president of basketball operations, told reporters at Media Day on Monday. “The thing I think is important is CJ [McCollum] and Brandon [Ingram], throughout their careers, have always employed people to take care of their body, to take care of their nutrition. They are really invested in their profession. This was the first summer where we've seen Zion take his profession seriously like that and invest in it off the court on his own in a way that I think is meaningful.”
Many within the organization have pointed out that Zion looks stronger this offseason, he looks healthier, and for once, he doesn't have to deal with an injury designation heading into the season. The Pelicans are still a relatively young team, which is why they are an ultimate wild card. Nobody knows what to expect from this group simply because we have yet to see them all on the court together.
Williamson can prove to be an X-factor for this team and take them to places they have never been, but it is up to him to take care of his body. This has been the two-time All-Star's main priority and he appears to be in great shape just weeks before the start of the new season. As far as what his goals are entering the year, health remains Zion's top area of focus, but winning is still at the forefront of discussion.
“To win, to win with my brothers,” Williamson told reporters when asked about his goal for the season. “It's as simple as that. I think we all feel the same way and we all got the same goal in mind. We want to win and we want to have fun.”
Just over two months into the 2022-23 season, the Pelicans found themselves with a 23-12 record and they were near the top of the NBA standings. Then, injuries occurred to both Williamson and Ingram, causing their season to unravel and derail.
We've seen this team find success in the regular season when they are together, and we saw their potential against the Suns in the playoffs just a few years back. Head coach Willie Green has a really talented roster to play around with, which is why the Pelicans could wind up surprising many this year.
Williamson is back and as long as he can stay on the court, New Orleans has a chance to be special, especially given the potential that surrounds him.
Pelicans offseason additions and departures
Additions: C Cody Zeller (free agency – MIA), G Jordan Hawkins (draft)
Departures: G Josh Richardson (free agency – MIA), C Jaxson Hayes (free agency – LAL), Willy Hernangomez (overseas)
It may not appear as if the Pelicans did a whole lot during the offseason, but this organization found themselves involved in quite a bit of trade chatter. There were discussions being held about Zion Williamson's future with the team given his inconsistent availability, as well as some off-the-court issues he had to handle, and even Brandon Ingram's name came up from time to time.
Whenever a team has a 42-40 season and fails to make the playoffs, these types of conversations always pop up. Whether or not there was true intent behind making a trade is the ultimate question. For the Pelicans, they never really seemed to want to flip their roster around.
As stated earlier, this group has shown high potential when they take the court together, but injuries have limited their chances for success. Williamson is healthy, Ingram is healthy, and CJ McCollum is healthy, which is why New Orleans is preparing for the 2023-24 season with the mindset of being a real threat in the West.
Williamson and Ingram heard their names come up in trade rumors near this offseason's NBA Draft, especially since the Pelicans owned the 14th overall selection and were interested in moving up. Even though there was talk of them being interested in trading up to draft Scoot Henderson, New Orleans stayed put and ended up grabbing one of the best shooters in this draft class.
Jordan Hawkins is the latest first-round pick to join the Pelicans and he fits the mold of a 3-and-D type of wing this team can immediately integrate into their rotations. A 21-year-old who thrives in catch-and-shoot situations and knows what it takes to win at the highest level after winning a national championship at the University of Connecticut, Hawkins can help a very average three-point shooting team become a Top 10 perimeter shooting team in the league.
Given some of the injury concerns the Pelicans still have entering camp and the preseason, Hawkins will surely have opportunities to prove his worth early on.
In free agency, New Orleans didn't have many options. McCollum, Ingram, and Williamson were all under contract and taking up roughly 60 percent of the team's total salary space, plus big man Jonas Valanciunas entered the final year of his contract at $15.4 million. The Pelicans also declined Herb Jones' $1.8 million option in order to reward and sign him to a long-term extension.
This deal quickly got done at the start of free agency, as Jones and the team agreed to a four-year, $54 million contract. With all of their cap space utilized, the Pelicans turned their attention to finding a backup big man given the departures of Jaxson Hayes and Willy Hernangomez. Cody Zeller ended up being their guy, as he stood out as a contributor for the Miami Heat behind Bam Adebayo late last season.
While they lost some size in their frontcourt with Hayes and Hernangomez leaving, the Pelicans are hopeful that Williamson will be able to fill some gaps that presented themselves a season ago alongside Valanciunas. Larry Nance Jr. and Trey Murphy III will also provide depth at the small forward and power forward positions, but their status to begin the year is a question mark, adding more mystery to what we should expect from the Pels.
Pelicans' injuries stacking up once again
Entering training camp, the Pelicans are already looking pretty shorthanded. They have their three stars, but three of their most important secondary talents are currently on the sideline and not able to participate.
Trey Murphy III, Jose Alvarado, and Larry Nance Jr. are all out to begin training camp and Murphy's absence is perhaps the most notable.
Stepping up into the starting lineup throughout the 2022-23 season due to Zion being out, Murphy ended up taking a massive step forward in his second year with the Pelicans. In a total of 79 games, the former first-round pick averaged 14.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 40.6 percent from three-point range. Murphy was one of the most improved players in the entire league this past year.
Just about a month ago, Murphy underwent surgery for a left meniscus tear. The team said then that he would miss about 10-to-12 weeks of action. With the young forward out, more pressure is put on both Williamson and Ingram to begin the year healthy and productive.
Both Alvarado and Nance were recently revealed to be sidelined with ankle injuries, as the Pelicans stated that they are expected to return to basketball activities in two-to-three weeks. The two-way guard sustained a right ankle sprain during an offseason workout and Nance received an injection that is supposed to help any soreness and pain in his ankle.
Injuries have really derailed the Pelicans over the years and once again, they are going to be facing some challenges entering the new year. As a result, others will need to emerge as key secondary contributors around Williamson, Ingram, and McCollum. Naji Marshall is an obvious choice given his role with the team last season and second-year guard Dyson Daniels will likely see an uptick in minutes as well.
Daniels was selected eighth overall by the team last summer and ended up having a relatively quiet rookie season. Given that he is still just 20 years old, New Orleans is taking their time developing Daniels into the two-way threat he can be. Perhaps his greatest strength is that he can play and defend multiple positions, skills that we will see put to the test during the 2023-24 season.
Nonetheless, Murphy will undoubtedly be out to begin the new year and his return will not come until some point near the end of November or in December. As for Alvarado and Nance, there is a chance that they could be ready for opening night, but it wouldn't come as a shock if they made their season debuts shortly after.
2023-24 season outlook
The Pelicans have had over 40 wins once in the last five seasons and they have only made the playoffs once in this span. Just because this team has not found a lot of success through the years doesn't mean they cannot change the narrative that surrounds them.
On paper, New Orleans has an impressive-looking roster. Their only problem has been availability, especially with Williamson always dealing with some sort of injury.
Zion is healthy, Ingram is ready to have another All-Star-like season, and McCollum can really thrive in his third-star role. The questions surrounding the Pelicans will obviously revolve around their health throughout the season, but their main focus is their secondary help.
Alvarado, Nance, and Murphy are all key contributors when healthy and the Pelicans still have a handful of youthful talents that are only going to grow as the year progresses.
There is a lot to like about the Pelicans, mainly due to their ability to instantly improve. Aside from what they have on the roster, New Orleans also owns a handful of draft assets they could utilize to add talent before the trade deadline in February.
David Griffin and this front office are always looking for ways to better their outcome in the Western Conference, which is why Jonas Valanciunas' expiring contract and former first-round pick Kira Lewis Jr. could be leveraged at some point. If they are healthy, the Pelicans are going to be in the playoff hunt in the West, hence why Griffin may look to be aggressive in the middle of the season.
The Pelicans are primed for growth heading into the 2023-24 season, which is why they are one of the most fascinating teams to keep tabs on.
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