Why the Pelicans are a bonafide NBA contender and even better than their record

San Antonio-Pelicans are legal.

Coming into the season and at the end of the 2021-22 season, we have all seen potential, talent and achievements. There were still some doubts about whether it could all come together in head coach Willie Green’s second season.

Those doubts should be cleared in 23 games this season.

Following Friday’s convincing 117-99 win over San Antonio, the Pelicans are 14-8, winning eight of their last 10 games. New Orleans’ victory over Denver Sunday and loss to Phoenix put him tied for first place in the Western Conference after completing his first quarter of the 2022-23 regular season. Even those with the most optimistic outlook for this group in 2018 couldn’t imagine they’d come anywhere near the top of the Western rankings.

Now it’s time to change the subject. This team belongs to the best team in the Western Conference.it no longer matters If A pelican might be nice. Now is the time to think about how good they are.

After 23 games, the Pelicans ranked sixth in points earned per 100 possessions and fourth in points allowed per 100 possessions. The only two teams in the NBA that have earned him a better net rating are Boston, Cleveland and Phoenix. These two are legitimate title contenders and another young team rising in the East. Get rid of garbage time, As the site Cleaning the Glass doesand New Orleans’ points differential rises to plus 6.7, equivalent to 57-win pace.

The Pelicans are probably closer to the Cavaliers than the Celtics or Suns. Because of their youth and lack of playoff experience. But with so many tools on this team and the belief that everyone can play on equal footing, it’s hard to put a cap on it.

“We are a special team. I think the world will start to see that as the season progresses,” he said. Zion Williamson.

If New Orleans is going to make the kind of jump most people didn’t think was possible so soon, the focus must go to Zion. However, CJ McCallum was tasked with missing the event. Over the last three games, Williamson is averaging 28.7 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and a 68.1% field goal percentage.

Williamson’s numbers through the first 100 games of his career It showed that superstardom was in his future. After missing the entire 2021-22 season due to a broken leg, he took time to find his rhythm. But he’s now all the way back and looking better than ever. Williamson’s numbers are flashy, but they don’t justify his overall dominance these days. His activities are off the charts, his defense, criticized a few weeks ago, being Professionally better than ever. Zion needs to maintain this level of play for longer and, as always, he should be off the disabled list.

Still, the leap he’s made this past week cannot be overstated. Nothing is more valuable than a bona fide NBA superstar. It may be showing up in New Orleans before our very eyes. These are the players who bridge the gap between playoff and championship contenders. Zion has always been one of the select few who has what it takes, and now he’s starting to show it. And if history can tell us anything, they tend to run their first deep playoffs earlier than expected.Look at Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks last season.

The scariest part is where Williamson starts reading the game like a superstar. He only gets more cerebral from here.

“He just scratched the surface. Said. “He’s making plays for us. Over and over again, he’s playing right.”

As much as Williamson’s play has dominated lately, he doesn’t deserve much of the credit for the Pelicans’ success this season. can beHis greatest strength in this team isn’t his star power at the top of the roster of Williamson, Ingram and McCallum. What shines through consistently is the depth from top to bottom.

The Pelicans surpassed .500 in six games, despite the expected five starters (Williamson, Ingram, McCallum, Herb Jones and Jonas Valanciunas) playing only 10 of 22 games. I’m here. Combined, the Big 3 have him missing 16 games (expanding to the ‘Big 4’, which includes Jones, he misses 21), but even when one or more teams are eliminated, teams rarely miss a beat. Is not … Consider that Pells has won eight of his last 10 games, even though he only had a full starting lineup available in two.

Jose Alvarado and Trey Murphy stood out in their second professional season. Jones hasn’t hit the ball well, but the defense remains great. Valančiūnas remained consistent in the center position, with Larry Nance Jr. serving as a reliable and effective backup role to close out many matches. Nagy Marshall is having his best season as a pro. Devonte ‘Graham was solid despite limited chances. Dyson’s Daniels recently emerged as one of his most NBA-ready rookies in this year’s class. New Orleans has assembled him on one of the most impressive rosters in the NBA, allowing him to adapt to any style needed to face any opponent.

Pells can comfortably go 11 deep any night and is happy with any player he puts on the floor. And that list of 11 does not include his MVP of Eurobasket (Willy Hernangomez) and his two recent lottopics (Jaxson Hayes and Kira Lewis) who are still on rookie contracts. Hmm.

That depth comes with a defensive mindset that complements the offensive star. Jones is already in his second season and he is one of the top defenders in the NBA. Nance’s on-court intellect is outstanding, and he thrives when New Orleans chooses to switch pick-and-rolls. Murphy and Marshall are his go-to destructive wing defenders. Alvarado is a plague that always forces your opponent’s guard to make mistakes. Daniels’ defense is very advanced for a 19-year-old.

The group prides itself on playing strings and communicating effectively, regardless of who is on the floor. The Pelicans rank second in the league in steals. This is because their overall length and activity forces opponents to make mistakes. They can roll out several lineup combinations that can be switched from 1 to 4 or 1 to 5. They keep the ball around and out of the paint.

Getting stops seemed like this team’s biggest weakness heading into the season, but somehow they turned it into one of their greatest strengths. Current, 6th Leastest Team in Half-Court Situationper glass cleaning.

“When people go down, I said before, I don’t see it as an obstacle. It’s an opportunity for us to go out there and continue to grow as a team. Keep building,” Green said. Told. “Our expectations are high. We’re not there yet, but we’re continuing to build towards where we want to be.”

If the Pelicans have an obvious defensive weakness, it’s their inability to defend the rim as the ball passes the first point of attack. New Orleans allows his 7th-fewest shots at the rim, but once opponents get there, his 3rd-worst mark in the NBA, he shoots a staggering 70.2%. according to glass cleaning. Nance is a good defensive center, but he’s small for the position. Valanciunas is a more intimidating figure under the basket, but he’s not much of a rim protector and struggles to defend in space. This isn’t a major flaw, but it’s still worth keeping an eye on.

A pressing question for the Pelicans is whether Williamson can play as well as he has in the last three games when Ingram and McCallum return to the lineup.

In the first few weeks of the season, the attack was at times focused on Ingram and McCallum, as it was last season, and Williamson was like a spectator hiding in the corner. That’s not the team’s strategy going forward. The most dangerous version of this team occurs when Zion is the focal point of the offense, especially when they are attacking with the ball downhill from the perimeter. This forces the opposing defender to send multiple corpses his way, opening up space for everyone else. .

Williamson, Ingram and McCallum have only combined at least 20 minutes in nine games this season. The Pelicans are 6-3 in those games. according to glass cleaning, when the Big 3 shared the floor, they outscored their opponents by 18.9 points per 100 possessions. That’s promising, but there’s still work to be done to ensure each member of the trio is fully optimized.

Over these nine games, Zion is averaging 21.7 points on just 14.2 field goal attempts. Those numbers are somewhat distorted by Williamson’s nine-point performance in a big win over Golden State’s reserves on Nov. 21, but the points still stand. As long as Williamson shreds defenses like he did last week, the offense has to get past him. Everyone else has to line up.

“Brandon, Z and CJ are all playing the game the right way. They’re not being selfish and they want to make sure their teammates are involved,” said Green. It may be one night in this game, but the next game it may be someone else’s night.They just want to play right all the time.I hope our top members bring that mentality every night. We are really lucky as a team that gives.”

Injuries prevented the Pelicans from getting enough runway to work out some of these kinks.As soon as one man is healthy, another is out. The Big 3’s total of 16 missed games rarely overlap. Above all, this group needs to be healthy long enough to figure out how to fit all the pieces together correctly.

Both starters are effective, but they still have work to do before they catch up with the big dogs of the West. T.The Perse starter has a net rating of 10.1 plus on 233 possessions when sharing the floor, according to Cleaning the Grass. That’s a good number, but it could be better. For reference:

• The Denver Nuggets starters (Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic) have a combined net rating of 14.7 on 372 possessions.
• The Golden State Warriors starters (Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney) have a staggering net rating of plus 23.1 on 572 possessions.

These teams are considered two of New Orleans’ biggest threats in the West, coming playoff time, but each core has the advantage of the vast amount of experience playing together. has no such shared history and could not produce one in the current injury situation.

Pel depth helps you rack up wins in the regular season, but to win at the highest level you have to find the best 5 and ride them when all the chips are down. It’s unclear if Pell has found the group yet.

They’ll be doing brutal stretches over the next six weeks, so we’ll have to figure that out soon. Of the next 22 games, 15 will be against teams with a .500 or better batting average, 7 of which are on the road.

We know this team is great. If they truly belong in the elite, we’ll see them put it on display in the next six weeks.

(Top photo of Zion Williamson and teammates: Michael Gonzales / NBAE via Getty Images)