It was a rough start to the season for the New Orleans Pelicans. It all started with the announcement that Zion Williamson would be missing the first 6-8 weeks of the season with a torn right meniscus. This was disheartening to NBA fans everywhere because of all the hype surrounding this man. After all, the Pelicans were set to be on National TV for a franchise-record 30 times this season.
After 20 games, the Pelicans were sitting at a 6-14 record. This was obviously not the expectation coming into the season. Preseason, people were predicting the Pelicans to potentially be a top 5 team in the West. The Pelicans have been known in the past for always being riddled with injuries, and this season hasn’t been any different. There has maybe been a handful of games that the Pelicans have had a full squad on the floor, not including Zion. It’s hard to get anything going when you’re always running with a different lineup. At a certain point, the Pelicans went on a 13 game losing streak! This was unacceptable for the talent that this team possesses. The New Orleans Pelicans had to find a way to fix their struggles.
Although Brandon Ingram has been in conversation for Most Improved Player and transformed his game to even All-Star level, it still wasn’t helping the Pelicans get wins. A lot of this was due to chemistry. The Pelicans this year have pretty much formed an entire new squad. Other than Lonzo, Ingram, and BI… none of these players have ever played together. Favors, Redick, Hayes, Alexander-Walker, all new players. Jrue Holiday was really the only key piece that has stayed in NOLA. It was evident that they would need some time to get things working.
Finally, that time has come. In the past 14 games, the Pelicans have won 10 of them. Four of those wins coming from top 5 teams. This team is looking better than ever. In those four losses, two were heartbreakers to the Jazz and Clippers. Both only two point losses. Other than that, the Pelicans have been on their A-Game.
The Pelicans have found their groove. They have found the right lineups to roll with at certain times in games, and also the Pels have a nearly fully healthy squad. Players are starting to play how they were projected early on. More importantly; they are learning how to play with each other. The main player I’ve seen major improvement in is Lonzo Ball. Things started very slowly for Lonzo. Although he seemed to have an improved shot, he never really looked comfortable on the floor. Because of this, he wasn’t get the minutes he expected. Zo was averaging around 11 PPG, 5 APG, 4 RPG after the first two months of the season. In the month of January, he’s boosted his averages to 15.2 PPG, 8.8 APG, and 7.9 RPG, along with 3 triple-doubles! He is truly becoming the player everyone knew he could be.
Only three games out of playoffs now, everything is starting to fall right into place for the Pelicans. It was crucial for this to happen now, because the long awaited return of the number-one pick is tomorrow. Zion Williamson. The possibilities are now endless for the New Orleans Pelicans. The Playoffs are definitely in the picture now. And how nice would it be for the Pelicans to sneak into that 8th seed and face the Los Angeles Lakers…? Yeah… That playoff series could be even more entertaining than the NBA finals.
Tomorrow is the day that we have all been waiting for. The day the New Orleans Pelicans organization changes forever.
