The Pelicans Are The STRANGEST Team In The NBA

The Pelicans Are The STRANGEST Team In The NBA

The New Orleans Pelicans are one of the strangest, if not the strangest team in the NBA, given that there’s actually much to like about this squad, but also a ton of uncertainty. So much so that it’s really difficult to measure how good they’ll be next season and moving forward. In this video, we’re going to discuss what to love about this team, the not so good, the downright bad, and the confusion over which path this franchise should take. Starting with the good, Z Williamson is still objectively one of the top 15 or so players in the NBA when healthy. In just 28 minutes a game, he was putting up 25 points, seven rebounds, and five assist, and set career highs in per blocks, and steals. And I know per 36 isn’t a perfect metric, but given more minutes, he hypothetically would be putting up 31 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and a block a game. That’s pretty insane and shows just the allNBA caliber play that Zion can have. He’s played the 2025 season in the best shape of his professional career, leaving that Mountain Dew commercial in the past, and is still an unstoppable force when barreling to the rim. pairing good ball handling ability with his insane size, strength, and body control to be the NBA’s second leading scoreer in the paint, only behind Giannis Atarakmpo. He’s even evolved each season as a playmaker, which is great to know given that he has statistically been the most doubleteamed player in the NBA since making his Pelicans debut. He can pass out to double teams. Has great processing ability, a good handle, and the ability to make different passes both transition and the half court to punish teams when they send multiple bodies at him or try to overh help. This has made him more dangerous than ever as a player. At just 25 years of age and on an upward trajectory, we should view the Pelicans very highly. However, the worstkept secret in the NBA is that his Achilles heel has been his availability at this point in his career, only playing 50 games twice in his career and unfortunately only playing 30 games this past season. Given that the Pelicans offensive rating completely craters when he’s off the floor, the Pelos need him to be available to be a respectable team out west. Another bright spot for the Pelicans has to be the emergence of Trey Murphy III. Hey guys, sorry for the short intermission. This is episode two of proving that I’m not an AI since the comments seemingly think that I am. If I could pick any AI voice for these videos, it most definitely would not be this one. Um, anyways, we’re rocking the red Zonesson Pelicans jersey, fittingly enough for this video. Enjoy the picture of Drew Breeze in the background holding the Lam Martin. Um, be sure to like and subscribe. And without further ado, let’s get back to the video. Going into the 2025 season, the Pelicans gave Trey Murphy III a massive contract extension with the hope of him being a Brandon Ingram replacement. However, he’s blown all expectations out of the water. Before being ruled out for the season, he was averaging a career best 21 points per game, five rebounds, and three and a half assists through 53 games, and demonstrated why he’s such an adaptable player alongside Zion Williamson. At 68, he’s a high volume three-point shooter at over eight attempts a game, and shot 36% from three, shot 40% on catch and shoot threes on five attempts a game, and is actually a 38% career three-point shooter. Mind you, this is not some stationary spot-off shooter because in terms of shot range and shot volume, he’s one of the best in the league. With a high arcing shot and the confidence to pull up from anywhere when bringing the ball up the floor, off the dribble, or when the ball is kicked out to him, Murphy launches absolute rainbows that demand respect from defenses, which is perfect playing alongside an interior force like Zion. The thing is, he’s way more athletic than people actually give him credit for. We’ve seen him finish 360 lobs. He can take off from pretty far in the paint and detonate at the rim. And his improved self-creation ability has taken his game to a whole another level. He’s now comfortable creating his own shot and being able to create separation to hit threes off the dribble. He can break down and get by his man due to his improved handle with the capability of attacking the rim and finishing through contact. and when he’s on, he can hit five, six, or even seven threes in a game and go off for 40 points. The rest of what I like about this team is the depth pieces that they have. But this is where we get into the uncertainties. Herb Jones has been great for the Pelicans since coming out of Alabama, being one of the best defenders since stepping foot in the NBA, being an excellent screen navigator, an excellent help defender, and being excellent at recovering and getting contest on shots. However, what concerns me about him is his outside shot. I was pretty much encouraged by the jump he took in 2024, shooting 41% from three on 3.6 attempts a game, but he failed to a career worst 31% on 3.6 attempts a game in 2025. I know he’s only played four seasons, but he’s quietly 26 years of age now and will be 27 this upcoming season since he was an older prospect out of the draft. and we haven’t seen the biggest offensive leap from him across his first few seasons in the NBA. Is the 33% range they shot earlier in his career more of what to expect from him as an outside shooter, or can he consistently be closer to 36% or above on higher volume. Next, we have to talk about the backcourt situation the Pelicans had. For me, the Jordan pulled trade is still a mixed bag. On the brighter side, his second season in Washington was a big improvement upon the first. And God knows that the Pelicans at this point need ball handling, shooting, and playmaking at the guard position. Pull scored a career-high 21 points per game and four and a half assist on the highest volume of threes in his career at 9.1 a game, and he shot them at 38% in 2025. He can score as a pick and roll ball handler, hit 39% of his pull-up threes, and is a capable playmaker, but has three notable flaws about him that make him questionable as a lead guard. He isn’t the greatest defender. He isn’t the greatest playmaker. Turn the ball over three times a game to his four and a half assist. And a shot selection at times can be questionable. A guard on this team who can defend, be a lead ball handler, a pick and roll ball handler, and be a threat from mid-range is Deontay Murray. But he’s still recovering with the torn right Achilles he suffered in January. It was really sucked because we only got to see a small sample size fits with Zon Williamson and this unit and he was solid all things being considered given the circumstance of playing with a depleted Pelicans team. But since he’s dealing with a major lower body injury, he more than likely will be out till the start of 2026 or even beyond that. All we can hope for is that the Pelicans are very patient with him since you can’t just bounce back from such an injury and look the same right away. This might mean that rookie Jeremiah Fears might get more burned. He’s a guard out of Oklahoma who measured in at 6’2 and a half without shoes at the draft combine. Measured with a 6 and 12 wingspan, is only 18 years of age, will only barely be 19 by the start of the season. He’s quick, has a nice and tight handle, is a crafty finish around the rim, has nice excel and del ability, and overall has a natural feel for the game. He’s demonstrated the ability to blow by defenders, gain separation, and create his own shots, and has good vision on the floor. The problem for Fears is that while he does have the potential to be a three-level scorer, the outside shot isn’t figured out yet. And he has to cut down on his turnovers. He shot just 28% from three at Oklahoma and that is far from ideal for a lead ball handler to shoot poorly from three. As for the front court, the Pels have solid contributors in Yez Missy who is one of the bright spots of their 2025 season and the addition of Kevon Looney for the Golden State Warriors is a solid pickup. Moreover, much of the attention has to go to rookie Derek Queen since the Pelicans really believe in him to be a star in the league. Why do I say that? Well, they trade an unprotected first round pick to select him. Queen measured in at 69 barefoot at the NBA draft combine with a 7 foot wingspan and is a gifted interior scorer who’s good at sealing off defenders in the post, has good footwork, can put the ball on the floor at the perimeter and drive inside. Has shown the potential to be impactful defensively on the interior and even on the perimeter and runs the floor pretty well. However, what you might be asking is how Queen and Zion fit together. Queen isn’t much of a floor spacer at this time, shooting just 20% from three on just one attempt a game this past season at Maryland. The 77% he shot at the free throw line is promising for his prospects as a shooter, potentially at the next level, but at this point, he’s a big that’s not going to provide much floor spacing. Hasn’t shown that he can be a true game changer as a rim protector and even showed some conditioning issues at Summer League. Is this a future Zion replacement? if they want to move on from the All-Star in the future, or is this a player to compliment Zion? With him set to miss the next few months, how well will he bounce back to start his rookie season? All things being considered, the Pelicans are the most confusing team in the NBA to me, given the questions that I have about this team and the long-term outlook. But guys, let me know what you guys think about the Pelicans. What are your expectations for this upcoming season for them? How big of an impact do you think newcomers such as Looney, Fierce, Queen, and Pool can have on this team this upcoming season? Do you think Queen is a Zion replacement? And also, do you have high hopes for Trey Murphy the third, Zion, and Dejante Murray when he comes back from injury? Let me know in the comments section down below. Thank you guys for watching, and if you want to know more about another young team that’s in the Western Conference, check out my last video on the Utah Jazz. to see you all in the next one and stay tuned.

The New Orleans Pelicans are a team filled with young talent and should be competitive. However, fit, injuries, and a lack of identity complicate what should be a promising future. Can Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, Jordan Poole, Derik Queen, and Jeremiah Fears figure it out?