Preseason Preview: New Orleans Pelicans

Preseason Preview: New Orleans Pelicans

What’s good y’all and welcome back to another preseason preview video. In today’s video, we’re going over the New Orleans Pelicans. In case this is your first preseason preview video of mine you’re seeing, basically what I do is go over the offseason, give a little recap there, and then try to look into the future and see what we can expect in this upcoming season. I’m dropping videos on all 30 NBA teams and I’m already halfway done. So, make sure you check out the videos on the channel that I’ve already uploaded and make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss the ones coming forward. But, let’s just jump right into it and talk about the New Orleans Pelicans. and they are probably the absolute weirdest team to talk about in the NBA. If you just look at it from last year, they were the 14th seed, ended up going 21 and 61. And for the last five plus, maybe like six or seven years, they have been dealing with injuries and not even just little injuries here and there by like one player who’s really injury riddled. The entire roster has dealt with injuries forever now at this point. So consistently every single year. Again, just looking at it from last year, Brandon Ingram played 18 games. Herb Jones played 20 games. Zion played 30 games. Deontay Murray played 31 games. These are really important starter level players for this team that are playing 30 or less games. The injury stuff is so weird in New Orleans that even former players like Dyson Daniels has a quote saying like he thinks that the organization’s just cursed. Like he doesn’t know what’s going on. It’s like beyond explanation at this point. Hopefully this year we see some type of health from this team. But I mean honestly, I really don’t know at this point if we’ll ever get that. Regardless of health though, the the Pelicans realize that they need to make some type of change though. They shook up the roster a little bit in the last like year and a half. Of course, at the trade deadline last year, they traded away Brandon Ingram. And then we’ll get to some of the offseason moves they made to even further shake up the team and give some changes. And before we talk about the guys that are actually coming to New Orleans, I do want to highlight some of the guys that are leaving. And the biggest name that’s leaving the Pelicans this off seasonason is CJ McCullum. He got traded along with Kelly Oolen and a 2027 second round pick to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Jordan Pool and Sadiq Bay. We’ll talk about those guys in a few minutes. But just to stay on CJ for a second, I really like CJ here. You know, he got traded here. Kind of was played out of position at point guard, even though he is more of a shooting guard. And he he did exactly what the Pelicans needed him to do to be that steady ball handler and to kind of be that veteran presence as well when the Pelicans were a much younger and more budding team. And I do think that when you look all around offensively at CJ, he is a terrific player scoring wise, ball handling wise, playmaking, he has improved a lot since coming to New Orleans. I just think that CJ kind of outlived the timetable of the Pelicans. Like I mentioned, he came here when they were a much younger team. Uh all of the players and the the main pieces around him were much younger. And now the Pelicans realize like, all right, we’re probably not going to be winning a championship anytime soon, so let’s move off CJ. And of course, like I mentioned, they brought in a guy like Jordan Pool, who we’ll talk about in a little bit, but spoiler alert, Jordan Pool is a much younger player than CJ. I mentioned Kelly Oolen was also included in this trade with CJ and he’s been moved around a few different teams in the last few months. He originally came to New Orleans in the Brandon Ingram trade. Then he got traded to Washington. And then he also got traded from Washington to San Antonio. He’s just been ping ponging around the league a little bit. He only played 20 games in New Orleans, but he started all 20 games and was pretty productive. So, I did want to give him a little bit of a shout. Similar to Kelly, they also lost Bruce Brown, who was included in that Brandon Ingam trade from the Raptors. Bruce Brown walked in free agency and he resigned to the Denver Nuggets. The only other important players that played a substantial amount of games last year that won’t be on the roster this year are Jeremiah Robinson Earl and Javvante Green. Both these guys were solid players for the Pelicans last year. They they played 50 plus games each. they were, you know, substantial parts of the rotation. But no disrespect to either of those guys. I don’t think the Pelicans are really going to be missing either of them. Jeremiah Robinson Earl is currently still sitting in free agency at the time of recording this video. And then Javvante Green signed a deal with the Detroit Pistons. Now, let’s talk about the guys that are actually coming to New Orleans this season. I do want to start by talking about the best player they got, and that is, of course, Jordan P. I mentioned before the Pelicans traded away. CJ McCullum, Kelly Olit, and a 2027 second round pick in exchange for Jordan Pool and Sadique Bay. And I do think the Pelicans kind of just see Jordan Pool as a younger CJ McCullum in certain aspects. Obviously, they’re not, you know, the same player at any means, but Jordan Pool is again much younger than CJ while also still being that same archetype of like a combo guard that can create for himself and be like more of a score first mentality guy, but also has the abilities to be the main ball handler, the main playmaker, and like point guard on the roster or on the team. Uh, and kind of be able to juggle both jobs and wear two hats. And after Jordan Pool got traded to Washington, I think a lot of people really just dogpiled on him because Washington Wizards were really, really bad. And that first year, Jordan Pool himself was really, really bad. Last year, he did improve and kind of regress back to the mean of the normal player he is. And he can still be a productive player. I do think it’s a good like low in a way for Jordan Pool because we’ve seen he is able to compete and and be a contributor to winning. He is an NBA champion. It’s just about the Pelicans and him trying to find that balance where he’s able to rock out and play his own game without the crazy turnovers and bad shot selections that we saw in Washington. And then to talk about the other piece they got, Sadique Bay. It has been a while since we’ve seen Sadique Bay on the NBA court. Last year he missed the entire season rehabbing an ACL injury. Uh so obviously it’s going to be a little bit rusty, I would assume, when he finally gets back on the court. But when he was playing, he was a very good offball wing who can sometimes create for himself if the offense needs it. Uh, you know, a solid defender. Again, with the ACL tear, I don’t know how much of his athleticism is going to be lost. Uh, but as like a off offball 3 and D type of archetype guy, I do think that he could be solid coming off the bench for the Pelicans. New Orleans wasn’t too active in free agency, but they did still make a signing. They signed Cavan Looney to a two-year $16 million deal. So, he’ll be making about $8 million a year. I honestly feel like Kevon Looney is one of the more underrated big men in the NBA just because when people look at the Warriors, who he spent his whole career up until this point with, uh, they obviously look at Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green. Kavon Looney does a lot of dirty work for the Warriors. Also, the Warriors system is super complicated. you have to be a pretty smart player to be able to succeed. And Kavan Looney definitely was able to operate in that system and do good and do his job. I think he’s a great rebounder, a very good defender as well. Like I said, a lot of people when they look at the Warriors and defense, they look at Draymond Green, rightfully so, but I do think that Cavon Looney is still super underrated as a switchable defender while also being able to hold down the paint a little bit. Offensively, you’re not going to get much from him, but I don’t think the Pelicans should look for much from him. Again, like I mentioned, he’s a good rebounder that comes with the offensive rebounds as well. So, he’ll get some putbacks. Uh but then he’s pretty much just a pick and roll big man. Uh will set hard screens and roll to the basket. That’s really all you need from your center. The Pelicans were also very active on draft night though. They had their own seventh overall pick where they drafted Jeremiah Fears. Jeremiah is a 6’4 combo guard. Uh he’s probably a little bit more suited towards a shooting guard, but is a little closer to a point guard size. So, that’s kind of where he gets the combo guard uh title from. But, he is a combo guard who has a great handle, can create for his own. He loves to operate in the mid-range. He can get to the rim, too, and finish with his touch. I do think that at the NBA level, he definitely has to improve his three-point shooting. His playmaking could also use some improvement as well, especially if he wants to fully embrace that title of a combo guard that can playmake for his team. I do think that his most NBA ready skill set is his self-creation, though. I do think he’ll be able to find his own shots within the offense for the Pelicans. And then with their second pick in the lottery, they traded back up to the 13th overall pick with the Atlanta Hawks to draft Derek Queen. I do want to say just real quick on this trade, the fact that the Pelicans gave up their own first round pick for next year to draft Derek Queen, you’re setting them up for a lot of expectations because just objectively that is a bad trade. I will talk about the ceiling floor expectations of the Pelicans right now in the super loaded Western Conference. I don’t think that they’re guaranteed to be a playoff just to spoil a little bit. I do think that there is a pretty high chance that they have a lottery pick that they will now not have because they traded it away to the Atlanta Hawks for Derrick Queen. No disrespect to Derrick Queen. He hasn’t even touched the NBA court yet. I’m just saying that’s pretty high expectations because if he doesn’t pan out and you traded away a potentially very valuable first round pick that could just end pretty badly for the Pelicans. But back to Derek as the player, I do think that he is a very interesting player, probably one of the most interesting prospects in this draft class. Uh he is 610, played center in college, but I do think that he translates a little bit better as a power forward in the NBA. His biggest skill set is his athleticism. Most specifically, his quickness and his speed considering his size. Like I mentioned, he’s 610 and is a pretty burly 610, too. Not like a scrawny 610. Uh, and moves so quickly and so fluidly with the basketball. Uh, he’s able to get to the rim just pretty much with ease again at his size. It’s pretty crazy to see. Uh, and then also he’s able to use his size in other ways where he can bully you and kind of get to his little postup game a little bit. He also has shown flashes of being able to be a pretty good three-point shooter, but I do think that we’re a pretty good ways away from that being a reality and him being a consistent three-point shooter. And then also defensively, he’s pretty intriguing. Like I mentioned, with his size and then quickness and athleticism, he’s able to be a very rangy and switchable versatile defender. I’m just not too confident as him being the sole rim protector or like the best defender, the main defender, however you want to look at it. I do think that his defensive upside is greater with the better defenders around him. I do want to just mention with Derek Queen, he did tear a ligament in his wrist in July. Uh there is no concrete timetable on when he’ll return, but is it is expected that he misses at least 12 to 18 weeks. And now that we know all the moves the Pelicans made this off seasonason, let’s take a look at a potential rotation we could be seeing. In the starting lineup, we have Jordan P, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, Zion Williamson, and Eves Messi. And then off the bench, we have Jose Alvarado, Jeremiah Fears, Sadique Bay, Carlo Matovich, and Cavan Looney. I usually wait a little bit longer to talk about the notable reserves, but I do want to just bring up two guys that weren’t on that graphic. Uh, obviously Derek Queen, I just mentioned before, he is going to be hurt for the beginning of the season. I believe it’s around December we can expect to have him back. uh but you know since he’s hurt he’s not going to be in the rotation for right now and then also similarly we have Deonte Murray who’s still rehabbing his Achilles injury he is expected to miss the beginning of the season as well I believe his timetable is also around December but obviously with Achilles tendons it’s a little bit harder but like I mentioned at the beginning of the episode it is very very weird to look at this Pelicans team because they have so consistently dealt with these injuries like Zion Williamson when he is healthy and on the court he is a allstar caliber player. He is damn near unstoppable at getting to the paint. If you stop him for the first time, he will probably get his own offensive rebound, go back up, and then convert. When he gets downhill, there is almost no one in the league that can match up with his physicality and his athleticism. So, he is going to probably score on you. That’s just the biggest issue is actually keeping him on the court. And how much can I really rely on Zion staying healthy and staying on the court? We haven’t seen it barely ever in his career. And I’m not blaming him for that. I want to make sure that’s clear. I’m not saying it’s his fault he’s injured. It’s just the sad truth of what his career has been so far. Even when Zion is healthy and you look at this team, I do think that they are going to lack some real self-creation though. Obviously, Zion, like I said, himself, he is a train that can create a bucket for sure. Don’t have to worry about that. They added Jordan P, who is a good self-creator for sure. Uh he’s definitely going to be their second option offensively. Uh, and that in its own right kind of scares me a little bit in this super deep Western Conference when your top two is Zion and Jordan Pool. Uh, compared to some of the other duos, I don’t know how much I love that. But even you take those two guys as their self-creators, the rest of the roster really isn’t going to create for themselves. Like, you know, Trey Murphy the third can create his own shot. Uh, but he definitely is much better as a play finisher, catching, shooting, or cutting or, you know, things like that. Um, you know, I don’t really look for him to create his own shot. Uh, and then, you know, Jeremiah Fears as a rookie, I do think he can help that out, but again, he is still a rookie and has to learn the NBA. They do have guys to a lesser extent, too, like a Jose Alvarado or Sadique Bay, uh maybe even Derek Queen when he is healthy. Like, these guys could help that issue. It’s just again, like I mentioned, Derrick Queen if he is healthy. Obviously, Deontay Murray when he’s healthy will help with some self-creation when he is healthy though. when these guys are healthy, are the rest of the team going to be healthy? Now, you see kind of the thought loop I’m kind of stuck in right now when talking about the Pelicans? So, because of that, I do think the Pelicans could have a average to maybe slightly below average offense. And then when you look at them defensively, they definitely have some pieces like a Herb Jones, like a Jose Alvarado, Cavan Looney, like I mentioned, who they just signed. Eves Messi had a pretty good rookie year. Uh they do have solid defensive pieces. I just don’t know if it’s enough to really have a good team defense, especially when you look at certain lineups they would running. Zion is obviously going to be playing a decent amount if he is healthy. Jordan P, I presume, will be playing a decent amount. Um, you know, and these guys both are pretty heavy defensive liabilities. I just feel like this Pelicans team is perfectly shaping up to have a average to slightly below average offense with a average to slightly below average defense and that is not a good recipe that you want to have. Before we move on, I do want to bring up the other notable reserves. Like I mentioned, you have the two injuries of Derek Queen and Jonte Murray. But on top of that, you also have guys like Brandon Boston Jr. who had a very solid year last year for the Pelicans. Uh I definitely think that he could be inserted into this rotation, especially if the Pelicans are dealing with some self-creation issues. Brandon Boston can definitely create his own shot. Uh and then also Jordan Hawkins kind of to a similar degree. I do think he can create his own shot to an extent. Uh but also I look at him just more as a three-point shooter. Uh I do think that he it could make the rotation. It’s just over some of these guys. I don’t really know how likely that is. Now it is time to talk about the ceiling floor and expectations for the New Orleans Pelicans. Starting off with their ceiling, I could see them being as high as the eighth seed and in the playing tournament. Even if the Pelicans stay healthy and they’re above the playing tournament, I will be very very shocked just because I feel like compared to a lot of these other Western Conference teams, when you compare star for star, the Pelicans lack a little bit. And then when you compare depth for depth, the Pelicans lack a little bit. So I I don’t want to seem like I’m really hating on the Pelicans, but again, like compared to a lot of these other Western Conference teams, I really just feel like they do not compare at their ceiling. though if they make the playin tournament I do think that they can win one of the two games to sneak into the playoffs at that point though I do think that they would pretty easily be first round exits when you look at their floor I can see them being as low as the 14th seed and in the lottery again sorry Utah Jazz fans but you guys are pretty much in a tier all alone by yourself at the bottom there but the Pelicans I do think could repeat as 14 seeds especially if we’re dealing with the same level of injury uh at that point they would definitely be towards the bottom of the standing innings and in the lottery. Then when you talk about my expectations for the Pelicans, I do expect them to be just barely above their floor at the 13th seed. Uh again, this is partially because when you look at the rest of the Western Conference, there are loads and loads of super good stacked teams that have great star power, great depth. The Pelicans, I don’t think, have really either of those things necessarily. And then also, unfortunately, you do have to factor in the health part of it. Uh, I’ve already mentioned multiple times through this video when X player is healthy, if X player stays healthy, that that’s some issue unfortunately and I don’t want to blame anyone in particular. Definitely not the players themselves for being hurt. It’s just the unfortunate reality we’ve have to deal with. What about you guys though? Let me know in the comments below where you think the Pelicans will end up in the standings and how far they can make it. Will they make the playoffs at all? Let me know what you think in the comments below. Hope you guys enjoyed this video. If you did, make sure to leave it a like, subscribe so you don’t miss the next one. In the description, there’s links to all my social medias, so make sure you follow me on all those to keep up to date with me.

During my Preseason Preview series I will be covering all 30 NBA teams, recapping their offseason, assessing their roster, and predicting what to expect from them in this coming season. In this video, I cover the New Orleans Pelicans.

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