The New Orleans Pelicans (14-11) have gone 5-2 over the last two weeks against perhaps the toughest part of their holiday schedule. The Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, and first-place Minnesota Timberwolves all found out how good Willie Green's squad can be when close to fully healthy. Unfortunately, Zion Williamson (questionable) has been listed on the injury report due to a left ankle sprain suffered against Minnesota.
In turn, there are now question marks around who replaces the two-time All-Star in the starting lineup.
Williamson wants to hoop, Pelicans usually cautious
Williamson participated in the morning shoot-around before a visit to face the Charlotte Hornets, which will be a homecoming, per Will Guillory of The Athletic. Williamson (Spartanburg SC), Brandon Ingram (Kingston, NC), and Trey Murphy III (Durham, NC) all grew up in the region. Williamson and Ingram stayed close to home at Duke for a year before entering the NBA Draft. That could be a pull on Williamson to persuade the team to let him play.
No doubt New Orleans Big 3 needs the in-game repetitions. Williamson has averaged 22.9 points and 5.6 assists per game while shooting 58.4 percent from the floor in 20 games this season.
However, the case for rest is simple: Injury prevention is the priority. Charlotte is a bottom-10 team on both ends of the court, 29th defensively and 20th offensively. LaMelo Ball has been ruled out already as well. The Pelicans should have enough firepower to beat the Hornets. Let Ingram ride out a hot hand that has 60 points in the last two games.
Green's got to rethink starting five, again
Someone has to step up with Williamson out and Dyson Daniels has been the go-to guy to replace injured starters. Unfortunately, the second-year pro is misfiring on offense. Green's decision to keep Trey Murphy III on the bench for the opening tip and Jordan Hawkins for practically the entire game must be revisited.
The Pelicans went down by 14 to the three-win Washington Wizards at the 7:51 mark of the first quarter. Then Trey Murphy III was subbed in for Daniels and the Pelicans never looked back in the road win. New Orleans ramped up the energy to earn a victory, but it was a concerning start that is starting to become a trend.
Daniels is averaging 5.6 points, 3.1 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 2 steals/blocks per game over the last 15 games. Half the time, he makes one shot or fewer. The Australian has made just 7 of 42 three-point attempts (16%) in the same timeframe. There is a case to be made for Murphy III's minutes to consistently come against second units, but this is the time of the year to experiment. Murphy III moving into the starting group might open at least a few minutes for rookie Jordan Hawkins as well.
New Orleans has one more stop on this three-game road trip before returning home versus the Memphis Grizzlies (6-17). It's a winnable home game against a team missing several key contributors. Williamson will definitely want to be in the lineup for Ja Morant's season debut. The only question now is whether it will be a ramp-up game for both 2019 NBA Draft stars.
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