New Orleans Pelicans 2020-21 NBA Season Preview & Prediction - Key Acquisitions, Complete Roster and Starting 5
The forecast for the New Orleans Pelicans’ upcoming 2020-21 NBA season will look a lot like the previous one—a playoff berth and lots of excitement. At the center of the excitement is second-year sensation Zion Williamson who will look to fulfill the lofty expectations placed on his broad shoulders when he came out of Duke University a year ago.
New Orleans Pelicans 2020-21 NBA Season Preview: Can this young core take the team to the playoffs?
Ever since they traded away Anthony Davis to the LA Lakers in exchange for a bevy of young players with potential, the New Orleans Pelicans have been setting their hopes high on the future of the franchise.
But their bright future was suddenly within reach as soon as Brandon Ingram became an All-Star last season in what was his fourth year in the league. With a full season together, Williamson and Ingram could form a partnership that carries the New Orleans Pelicans to the postseason sooner rather than later.
New Orleans Pelicans 2019-20NBA Season Record
Regular Season: 30-42
Western Conference: 13th
2019-20 NBA Season: Non-playoff team
Key Acquisitions
G Eric Bledsoe, C Steven Adams
Coming from the Milwaukee Bucks, Eric Bledsoe will likely come off the bench for the New Orleans Pelicans to relieve Lonzo Ball of his playmaking duties. It’s been a while since Bledsoe has had to come off the bench, but he will be an excellent mentor to Ball.
In his Zoom call with reporters recently, Williamson spoke about how surprised he was at how strong Steven Adams is.
“Steven is strong. Like, I thought I was strong but seeing it up close on the same team now, it’s crazy. Steven is really strong and he is a great basketball player.”
Adams, who came over from the Oklahoma City Thunder, will provide stability at the center position and he will be Williamson’s frontcourt mate together with Brandon Ingram.
New Orleans Pelicans Predicted Starting Lineup
G Lonzo Ball, G JJ Redick, F Brandon Ingram, F Zion Williamson, C Steven Adams
Complete Roster
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Rawle Alkins, Eric Bledsoe, Wenyen Gabriel, Josh Hart, Jaxson Hayes, Kira Lewis Jr., Will Magnay, Naji Marshall, Nicolo Melli, E'Twaun Moore, JJ Redick, Sindarius Thornwell
Overview
The New Orleans Pelicans came to training camp with defense as their primary focus. New head coach Stan Van Gundy wanted to make sure that his team understood first and foremost that defense is going to be the priority this season.
“Day 1 you want to set the tone,” Van Gundy said. “For us, it was defense, first and foremost. I thought it was important this year, with me coming in new, that we went right to the priority first. Today we wanted to get a defensive mentality and how we wanted to play on the defensive end of the floor.”
The Pelicans were 15th in the league in offensive rating and 21st in defensive rating last season. Van Gundy should be able to help his team to improve on both ends of the floor, but the defensive end is where New Orleans can separate themselves from the pack.
Brandon Ingram led the New Orleans Pelicans in scoring last season with 23.8 points per game. Without the pressures of playing with the LA Lakers, Ingram finally showcased the potential he had as a former second overall pick.
In just 27.8 minutes a game, Zion Williamson put together averages of 22.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest. He also shot 58.3 percent from field and 42.9 percent of his 3-point attempts. Zion should continue to showcase his entire repertoire with no restrictions this season.
Lonzo Ball and Eric Bledsoe will be expected to be the team’s point guards while Josh Hart and Nickeil Alexander-Walker will come off the bench when JJ Redick takes a breather. Wenyen Gabriel, Naji Marshall, and Jaxson Hayes will provide additional frontcourt depth for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Prediction for New Orleans Pelicans' 2020-21 Season
It’s not impossible for the New Orleans Pelicans to make the postseason with Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson leading the way. But the Western Conference is as tough as it has ever been with as many as 12 teams possibly vying for a 8 playoff spots.
A lot will be demanded from Williamson by Van Gundy who will discover what his star player is truly capable of. The Pelicans will be in the thick of the 2021 playoff race and they have a slim chance of making the cut. The best-case scenario for the Pelicans is to make the postseason as the 8 seed and the worst case would be a 10-place finish in the West.
Also Read: 5 Milestones Zion Williamson will aim to achieve in the 2020-21 NBA season