Injuries and dysfunction. These are the two words that have been associated with the New Orleans Pelicans over the last couple of seasons due to the fact that they have never seemed to have their full core group heathy. By the time health was no longer a factor in recent years, the cracks in the Pelicans' chemistry started to show as a result of their team not having enough time throughout the season to play amongst one another.
Fresh into the month of December and gearing up for the holiday season, the Pelicans have one thing on their wish list: Win the NBA In-Season Tournament.
Despite dealing with injuries throughout the first several weeks of the 2023-24 season, New Orleans is now basically fully healthy, a sentence Pelicans fans thought that they would never hear. Only Larry Nance Jr., who is dealing with a rib injury, and Matt Ryan, who is sidelined with a calf injury, remain on the team's injury report. This means the Pels have their main core group of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Jonas Valanciunas, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, and Jose Alvarado on the floor.
On Monday night, all seven of these players took the court for the Pelicans in what was their most important game of the season. Facing off against the Sacramento Kings on the road with a ticket to Las Vegas for the NBA In-Season Tournament semifinals on the line, the Pelicans looked dominant. Not only did New Orleans erase a 15-point Sacramento lead, but they seemed to have an answer for every single run the Kings went on.
Williamson only had 10 points, yet he made an impact as a facilitator and playmaker with six assists. McCollum also aided in this area, recording seven assists while stepping out on the perimeter and knocking down three triples. Jones and Murphy supplied the Pelicans with 39 combined points and three blocks, proving that they are two of the better two-way secondary talents in the league. And finally, you can't not mention Ingram and the night he had with 30 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.
For the third time this season, the Pelicans defeated the Kings. Now, they find themselves just two wins away from claiming the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament championship in a season that looked dreadful just a few weeks prior due to injury concerns. Don't let their 12-10 record fool you because the Pelicans have quickly turned things and the Pels may just have the most talent in the entire league. .
Murphy, Jones, Alvarado, and Naji Marshall are all secondary talents who can step up on any given night for this team, which is why the Pelicans are suddenly starting to look like a dangerous team.
“We expect nothing less. It can literally be anybody's night,” Williamson said when asked about the impact of his teammates. “Jose went for 38 last year. Trey had a 40-ball. We have a deep bench, so it really can be anybody's night. As long as we get the win, we all like the result.”
Many teams tend to keep a strict nine-man or 10-man rotation for the vast majority of the season. Due to all the injuries the Pelicans have had to deal with, numerous players have been asked to see their minutes fluctuate, resulting in them taking on new roles over the course of the year. This is one of the main reasons why the Pelicans have an even deeper rotation with impactful players like Alvarado, Murphy, and Marshall.
However, the most important factor for the Pelicans that directly impacted their chances of winning the in-season tournament was getting McCollum and Murphy back out on the court from injury.
CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy III impact winning
Before the 2023-24 season even began, Trey Murphy III suffered a partial meniscus tear in his left knee and underwent surgery. As a result, Murphy did not make his season debut until this past Friday, making Monday night's game in Sacramento just his second of the year. In back-to-back games off the bench, Murphy has recorded 18 and 16 points, respectively, while shooting 7-for-18 (38.9 percent) from three-point range.
Unlike the recent first-round pick, CJ McCollum was healthy to begin the season for the Pelicans. However, McCollum suffered a small pneumothorax in his right lung after six games and was sidelined for 12 total games before returning last Wednesday night.
Whereas Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are the main scorers on this Pelicans roster, McCollum is sort of like the glue that holds things together between his secondary scoring and facilitating numbers. That has been apparent in recent games, as the veteran has averaged 18.7 points and 6.7 assists per game since returning to the lineup.
We can dive into more numbers and talk about the impacts of others such as Jose Alvarado and Herb Jones as well, but Murphy and McCollum are the keys to the Pelicans finally taking that next step forward and becoming true contenders in the Western Conference.
“For us, it's about competing at a high level and understanding what we want to accomplish,” McCollum said after Monday's game. “We got goals and things we want to accomplish as a team, not just this week, but in April, May, and June. For us, we just have to build on each day and really take advantage of these moments.”
Continuing to build chemistry and playing alongside one another in big games, like the NBA In-Season Tournament games, are advantageous to a team like the Pelicans because of their lack of overall minutes together.
It always seems like when one player comes back, another one lands on the injury report in New Orleans. Williamson, Ingram, McColum are finally back on the floor alongside one another, and this team has their versatile depth in Murphy, Jones, Alvarado, and others. As they continue to stay healthy and play in more games, the Pelicans are only going to grow as one collective unit. It is definitely not a coincidence that the Pels have won three of their last four games, scoring 118 points in all of these matchups.
“You need deep teams in order to win and you never know with injuries or with foul trouble. For things that are going to occur over the course of an 82-game season, you need an entire team healthy and ready to compete,” McCollum continued. “I think that is the sign of a championship-caliber team.
“Obviously, we have a lot to work on and get better at, but we are heading in a really good direction.”
Can the Pelicans win the in-season tournament?
After defeating the Kings on Monday night, the Pelicans now await the winner of the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers game on Tuesday. Hitting the road for Las Vegas, New Orleans will play one of these two teams on Thursday night in the semifinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament.
Regardless of if they have to play the Suns or the Lakers, the Pelicans should be viewed as favorites for a few reasons. Not only is this team playing their best basketball of the season, but you can tell that this in-season tournament means something to the Pels. For years, everyone has always talked down on New Orleans and has never really given them the respect they deserve, even when they pushed the 1-seeded Suns to the edge in the first-round of the 2021 playoffs as the 8-seed in the Western Conference.
While they have yet to face either team this season, the Pelicans know what they are capable of doing. With a deep roster and plenty of talent, New Orleans understands the opportunity that lies ahead of them in Las Vegas.
“I just think that's what makes us special,” Zion said of the Pelicans' depth. “We are a deep team and with the shooters we have, it definitely takes pressure off me. Even though I didn't shoot and had four turnovers, we were still up 13 or 15 points late in the game. I think that just shows how locked in everybody is. Coach always talks about staying ready. Our guys stay ready.”
As a team, the Pelicans are averaging 114.6 points per game on the season, which ranks 13th in the league. Over their last four games, the Pelicans are averaging 122.5 points per game and have had numerous players score in double figures both in and out of the starting rotation.
The returns of McCollum and Murphy to the Pelicans' rotation has seen this offense flourish. More shots are beginning to fall and the confidence level this team has in one another is beginning to grow rapidly. Not to mention, roles are beginning to be defined each and every game that this extensive core plays with one another.
Overall, health is still the main factor standing in the way of the Pelicans becoming a great team. On paper, New Orleans certainly has one of the better looking rosters in the league and if there is anyone who knows this, it is the players in the Pelicans' locker room.
“I say it all the time. This team can be so great. We have a lot of potential, but we also have a lot of growth we have to do,” Williamson continued. “Overall, I feel like we can do some really special.
“If everybody stays locked in, we can do something really special.”
So, when it comes to the question of if the Pelicans can win the NBA In-Season Tournament, the answer seems to be pretty clear. This team understands what they are capable of doing, which makes them on of the most dangerous teams in the league right now.
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