EVERYBODY is Sleeping on This…

EVERYBODY is Sleeping on This…

Everybody is sleeping on this in regards to the NBA’s Western Conference right now as there’s been a lot of discussion on a bunch of the teams in the Western Conference and who’s going to break out this year. And a former Pelicans player has shown exactly why the New Orleans Pelicans are one of the most slept on teams in the entire NBA right now and have a real chance to actually make noise in the playoffs next season. And we’re going to break it all down, discuss exactly why that is the case. What’s up, guys? Welcome back to Pelicans Digest. It’s Chris here. We’re going to jump right into things. As always, if you guys are part of that 64% that’s not subscribed to Pelicans Digest, we have a bunch of updates coming out on the Pelicans. We’re going to get back to daily updates once Mel is feeling a little bit better. And once that happens, we have a bunch of great videos for you. And you won’t only just see this face around, which I know you guys just love so much because I read the comments on all the videos that I’m on. So, I can see what you guys have to say about me. But jumping right into the video, the New Orleans Pelicans are one of the most slept on teams, if not the most slept on team in the NBA. Right now, they’re viewed as one of the laughing stocks of not just the Western Conference, but the NBA in its entirety. And that is not exactly the case, or not exactly should be the case here because of what we know the New Orleans Pelicans are able to do with this team. First of all, they do have two legit guys who can make all-star games. Zion Williamson, if healthy, will be an all-star. And then on top of that, Deontay Murray has made the All-Star game in the past before and is an excellent player. But there’s a core around this team as well that is very exciting. Looking at the Pelicans depth chart right now, what we see is a team where Dejonte Murray is going to be the point guard, not Jordan Pool. We’re going to switch that around for this. But a starting line where Dejante Murray is at the one. an excellent point of attack defender who’s one of the best steel artists in basketball and also has shown more improvement on that three-point shot and taking on a scoring load that he did both in Atlanta and San Antonio showing that he is one of the better players in basketball who’s really been forgotten because of that hand injury that he suffered early on into the season. Meanwhile, Jordan P when playing his role has been very effective putting up nearly 20 points per game in those spans and also at the same time being an excellent shooter who could create his own shot. Something the Pelicans desperately needed after trading Brandon Ingram to the Raptors. On top of that, we see Trey Murphy, someone who’s just an excellent all-around role player in every sense of the word, also throws down fun dunks. On top of that, speaking of fun dunks, Zion Williamson, who just is an all-star when he’s healthy, and Ees Missy is coming into year two, where big men usually do kind of take a bit of a leap thus far into their careers. And Eves Missy already showed that skill in year one. Meanwhile, off the bench with the big man situation, you have Derek Queen, and we’ll have more on him later. But meanwhile, there’s Cavan Looney who’s a championship center. He’s won multiple championships playing big roles for the Golden State Warriors. Sadique Bay is someone off the bench who’s a very nice role player to have. And on top of that, you then see Herb Jones, who’s an elite defender, Jordan Hawkins, who’s just waiting to break out, and José Alvarado who’s been a rock of consistency for this team. While there’s also a young player at the guard spot in Jeremiah Fears, who’s waiting to break out as well. On top of that, speaking of young guys who want to break out, Micah Peavey has shown some good signs as well for this Pelicans team going forwards. As we know, the Pelicans, it’s gut check time. you have to compete next season because well we know where that first round pick is. It’s with the Atlanta Hawks because of that trade that was made. So with that in mind, Joe Dumar said I effectively say said I believe that this is a playoff team and we’re going to trade our unprotected 2026 first round pick and prove that when that pick is going to be in the latter half of the NBA draft next season of the first round of the NBA draft next season because this is who we actually are. It’s a matter of staying healthy for this team. Last year was a Murphy’s law. Everything that could have went wrong went wrong. And now people are sleeping on the Pelicans except for this one former Pelicans player in Kendrick Perkins who said the New Orleans Pelicans are going to be right in the thick of things. I don’t believe that they’re going to make the playoffs by being a top six seed, but I do believe that they go are going to have a fighting chance of making the playoffs through the playin tournament. And honestly, I’m inclined to agree. Again, you look at this crew they have right now led by Zion Williamson who when healthy is one of the best players in the NBA in 28 minutes per game last season. He put up 24.6 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. He also got over a steal per game and nearly a block per game as well. While having a positive defensive box plus minus despite playing on a bad team, his defense has really improved since coming into the NBA. He shot 56.7% from the field and 23% from three. So, obviously never been a three-point shooter, but Zion is an excellent down low guy who also has a bit of a mid-range that he can flash as well and drives to the hoop with a way that nobody can stop him because again, he’s Zion. We’ve seen this before. On top of that, you see Deontay Murray, a guy who put up 16 and a or 17 and a half points per game last season, six and a half rebounds and seven and a half assists. A very well-rounded guard who’s being slept on completely right now. Got two steals a game. And yeah, the shooting numbers weren’t good last year, but again, last year was a Murphy’s law type of season that we can kind of overlook when it comes to Murray, whose Pelicans career started with him breaking his hand, mind you, which is important to note. You then look at a guy in Trey Murphy who had way better than the role player season that I described as and that we all describe it as. He put up 21 points per game last year. Put up five and a half rebounds and three and a half assists. He got a steal per game. He shot 36% from three, 44% in the corner, and 45% from the field. Trey Murphy is a phenomenal player as well. He gave the Pelicans room to trade away Brandon Ingram to go with Murphy going forwards as another scoring option for this team. Meanwhile, you then look at Herbert Jones, one of the best defenders in basketball, who had a down year. He put up 10 points a game, four rebounds, and three assists. Those numbers are fine. I mean, I’d like to see him score a few more points per game, which I think he will this season now that things are a little bit back to normal. got two steals per game as he does because he’s one of the best on ball defenders in basketball. Arguably the best onball defender in basketball. Can guard basically any position which is also important to note. Shot 43% from the field and 30% from three last season which is way below what he usually does but still shot 37% on corner threes showing he does have that ability to be still that corner three-point shooter and just that three-point shooter that we know he can be. This is a talented team that is heavily being slept on. And it goes even farther than that with Kendrick Perkins saying Derek Queen is a baby Jokic Alper and Shenan. The man has the complete package. He is going to be special. And honestly, you look at this young core and it’s easy to believe it. I mean, you look at a guy like Derek Queen who in college put up 16 and a half points, nine rebounds, and two assists, shooting 52.6% from the field, and was a Big 10 Rookie of the year, a Big 10 all all freshman, all Big 10 2042 25. He put up a ton of accolades in his one season because we know who Derek Queen can be. On top of that, in the summer league, he did put up solid numbers as well, putting up 14 points and 11 rebounds per game before going down with the injury, shooting 44% from the field as well as a very young player to build around. Now, we also haven’t really discussed Jordan P. The fact is Jordan P can start or come off the bench as your sixth man, but when Jordan Pool’s playing his role, he’s great. in the 2022 NBA playoffs when he won a championship with the Golden State Warriors. He’s one of the best players on the team. He put up 17 points, four assists, and three rebounds per game in that 22game run that they had, ending in a title. He shot 91.5% from the free throw line. Shot 39.1% from three and 51% from the field. Jordan P gives the Pelicans what they need. He’s taking six threes a game as well in this time and has continued to take a big number of shots and can work as a starter off the bench. But I think next to DeJonte Murray is a perfect place for Jordan Pool to be playing basketball. I absolutely love what this team has done in a lot of ways. Now, the biggest shade they’ve gotten is for the Derek Queen selection is when they were graded on it. It was graded with an F saying the Hawks Pelicans draft night swap was seemingly the most lopsided transaction of the summer. It could pay off for New Orleans, but was far too risky to be sensible, particularly in the context of the Pelicans of their moves. New Orleans is betting on Jordan Pool being a playoff caliber starting guard, not point guard. He’s going to be the shooting guard. And overloaded its depth chart at center by drafting Derrick Queen and signing Cavon Looney. Or maybe they signed Cavon Looney as just more depth to have. It’s not the worst thing in the world. I don’t know why too many big men has never been an issue when big men are the most commonly injured position. Just three West teams have longer odds of winning the Western Conference Finals. So obviously the ESPN’s not high on them, and that’s understandable. That’s fair. And the Pelicans straight away their safety net now that they’re no longer in control of their 2026 first round pick. Yeah, because it’s gut check time and if it doesn’t work, you probably fire Willie Green after this season as well. But there’s reasons to believe in this Pelicans team. If Zion and Dejante stay healthy, if this core guys like Sadique Bay and Jordan P, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, Cavon Looney, if those guys stay healthy, if Kendrick Perkins is right about the young guys, this is a team that should make the playoffs. I’m being honest. I believe and I think they are the most slept on team in the NBA right now. What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments down below. Like this video, subscribe, turn on post notifications. Have a great day. I will catch you on the next

Chris Gallagher breaks down the whole world speaking on the New Orleans Pelicans and sleeping on them.

Pelicans Digest is a YouTube channel dedicated to covering all the latest news, trades, reports, and rumors about the New Orleans Pelicans. We provide in-depth coverage of game highlights, player performances, and analysis of team strategies. Our channel features discussions on key players like Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, and Herb Jones, along with insights from Head Coach Willie Green and General Manager Bryson Graham. Stay tuned for all the exciting updates and engaging content on everything Pelicans!

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