The New Orleans Pelicans have yet to tipoff training camp, but they're already dealing with injuries. Their lineup is decimated as Trey Murphy III, Jose Alvarado and Larry Nance Jr. are not expected to be ready by the time official preparation for 2023-24 begin on October 5th, so the Pelicans will be missing three integral pieces in their rotation. Zion Williamson is fully healthy for now, but his ability to play at least 65-70 games in a season remains a massive question mark.

When Williamson is on the floor, the Pelicans have one of the best offenses in the league. Even just 55-60 games from Williamson would represent a victory for New Orleans given his persistent health woes. Brandon Ingram was supposed to be a star for Team USA at the FIBA World Cup, but finished the Americans' medal-less effort as one of the event's most disappointing players. Moreover, Ingram failed to agree on a contract extension with New Orleans in the offseason, adding to a myriad of impending questions the Pelicans face as training camp dawns in advance of the 2023-24 season.

3. Can Brandon Ingram bounce back from his Team USA stint?

After playing with a slew of talented individuals on Team USA, it was evident that Ingram had trouble adjusting to a lower-usage role, Williamson, CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas all thrive with the ball in their hands as well, so Ingram must learn how to remain effective even he gets fewer touches and shots.

The Pelicans boast rare scoring depth, especially when fully healthy, but will also need Ingram's assertiveness at critical junctures of particular contests. Finding that balance between working within the flow of the offense and taking over games is the next step in Ingram's approach as he enters the prime of his career. Thus, that will likely be the next step in the maturity of his approach as he enters the prime of his career.

New Orleans' nucleus is immensely talented, but must find a way to coalesce to get a top-six seed in a loaded Western Conference this season—an onus that falls heaviest on Ingram's shoulders.

2. When will Trey Murphy III return to 100%?

After Williamson's injury last year, the Pelicans plummeted down the standings, but they were still able to squeak through the play-in tournament in part due to Murphy's breakout season. He averaged 14.5 points per game and made over two threes per game while shooting 40.6% from deep, so he is expected to take another leap in 2023-24. Could missing the first few weeks of the season, if not more, prevent the 23-year-old from continuing his ascent?

Murphy's role as a tremendous catch-and-shoot perimeter sniper, above-average defender and secondary shot creator can't be replaced. The sooner he returns, the sooner the Pelicans will have the chance to reach their ceiling as darkhorse title contenders.

1. How many games is Zion Williamson playing this season?

Williamson is entering his fifth season in the association, but has only played over 30 games once in his tumultuous NBA career. While his unique talent is undeniable, Williamson's inability to stay on the floor has resulted to subpar seasons for his squad. Availability, as the adage goes, needs to become his best ability.

Yes, there have been a bevy of pictures and videos of offseason workouts suggesting Williamson is primed for a monster season. But there's no replicating the speed and physicality of NBA competition, nor the random, massive in-game force Williamson puts on his body while playing completely unencumbered.

Williamson was becoming truly unstoppable last season, but still needs to get better. His perimeter jumper remains nonexistent, and Williamson still has improvements to make defensively despite his clear progress on that end in 2022-23—when healthy, that is. What happens to his development, not to mention the Pelicans' playoff hopes, if he once again misses most of the season?