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Last night, the Hawks beat the Bucks, the Wolves smashed a short-handed Clippers team and the Lakers lost by 41 points in Miami. The Lakers’ defense is so bad currently that Anthony Davis should cool it on the Defensive Player of the Year award stuff … for now.
What’s Next?
Should the Pelicans see this through?
I got a standard press release from the Pelicans yesterday via electronic mail, updating the statuses of various injured players. We got some good news about Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones. They both went through a full practice and were listed as questionable for tonight’s game against Phoenix. Jose Alvarado is progressing well and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
And then, they updated us on Zion Williamson. He’s only played six games this season and hasn’t played since Nov. 6 due to a hamstring injury. It’s the same hamstring that knocked him out of the postseason in April. He’s had as much news about his back tattoo as about his injury status and when he might return. The Pelicans told us he’s progressing well through rehabilitation and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, so we’re looking at a week before Christmas for our next possible update.
There’s been reporting (and rumors) lately that Zion isn’t close to returning. Maybe “not close” means he might not play until closer to Christmas, or maybe it means his absence could extend into 2025. The Pelicans want to make sure he’s in position to succeed and play healthy when he’s finally back on the court.
That isn’t the only news and rumor we’ve heard with Pelicans stars. There’s been much internet conversation about Ingram’s status with the team. It stemmed from reports that Ingram’s trade market hasn’t really materialized for New Orleans. Ingram is in a contract year and will be an unrestricted free agent. He recently parted ways with his agent and signed with Klutch Sports.
Zion also curiously parted ways with CAA and signed with Bill Duffy. Many people wondered if Zion’s current contract with New Orleans was in danger following CAA being out of the picture because there are some reported outs for the Pelicans due to injury/weight management/etc if the team should so choose to enact them.
Regardless, the Pelicans are a mess at 4-18. They came into the season with high expectations after winning 49 games last season. Their struggles are easily explained though. For most of the season, they’ve been missing anywhere from three-to-seven members of their rotation – not just players on the roster, but guys expected to play and have an impact. It’s fair to wonder if perhaps the Pelicans might need to start anew or stick with the path of a ton of talent that is constantly on the injury report.
Going into next season, the Pelicans will have four players making at least $25 million per season: Zion, CJ McCollum (free agent in 2026), Dejounte Murray (player option in 2027) and Trey Murphy (extension kicks in next season and runs through 2029). That doesn’t even include Ingram, who could be traded before the deadline or walk in free agency.
- If the Pelicans did decide to detonate this roster, they could clear a massive amount of cap space by the summer of 2026. Ingram and McCollum would be gone. They could get out of Zion’s deal since he’s missed so much time. Moving Murray for assets and starting over could also be an option. The 2025 and 2026 draft classes are loaded with star players. New Orleans has control over its first-round picks in both drafts. A rebuild or retooling could actually be pretty quick.
- At the same time, the Pelicans currently have an incredibly talented and explosive roster. Granted, it’s a little unbalanced and could use more size inside, but the potential with this roster and its stars is very easy to wrap your head around. At a certain point, they might find themselves in a similar position the LA Clippers were in this summer: injuries constantly derailing contention and the second apron looming to ruin the roster in the future. I don’t want to see this Pelicans roster broken up because I believe in its upside. But they have to feel nervous about the future when the present continues to have more players on the injury report than wins on the season.
The Last 24
JJ Redick felt embarrassed by the Lakers
🏀 The Lakers are a mess. Their coach had some very telling comments following the beatdown they received in Miami. It’s on the players.
🪣 SGA is an all-timer. Marcus Thompson wrote about the Thunder star sneakily becoming an all-time scorer. Get buckets.
🏀 Confusing Cavs offense. Cleveland’s offense has been elite so far, even if it confuses its players. Jared Weiss has it here.
🏀 The WNBA has officially unveiled its 14th active team. Let’s welcome the Toronto Tempo!
👀 Jewell Loyd has requested a trade from the Seattle Storm. An investigation into workplace conduct violations reportedly found no wrongdoing, though.
📺 Don’t miss this game tonight. Nuggets (11-8) at Cavaliers (19-3), 7 p.m. ET on NBA TV. Does Cleveland’s defense have something for a healthy Nuggets squad?
📺 This is the one. Rockets (15-7) at Warriors (12-8), 10 p.m. ET on NBA TV. I’m expecting big fireworks.
📺 League Pass gem. Kings (10-12) at Grizzlies (14-8), 8 p.m. ET. Don’t miss Ja Morant against De’Aaron Fox.
No Dunks? For Real?
Ja Morant claims he’s done dunking
I’ve had this theory for the last couple years that, if you randomly gave “regular people” Ja Morant’s athleticism without telling them, and they found out by trying to do something mildly athletic, they’d be terrified. They wouldn’t know what to do with it. Very few people would think “this is awesome” right away. In a world of athletes that don’t make any sense to us, Morant flies above what is comprehensible.
This was a recent quote from Morant, via Tim MacMahon of ESPN:
“Sometimes, I get knocked out the air, and (a foul) don’t get called, and now I’m out longer than what I’m supposed to be. Sometimes, the foul might get called; I still hit the floor, but after the game you might feel that little fall. So, I just pick and choose, man. Hey, two points is two points. I get it done. That’s all that matters.”
It’s an incredibly balanced way of approaching Morant’s issues with staying on the court. Obviously, the suspension from the league that knocked him out for 25 games to start last season is the focus of his missed time. But Morant has already missed 111 games in his career due to injury. If he’s already having the clarity that his in-air escapades are taking a toll on his body, then that’s pretty smart about his present and future. Vince Carter said long ago it’s not the dunking that hurts; it’s the landing. Anthony Edwards has made comments about dunking hurting for similar reasons.
At the same time, as a fan of what Morant does on the court, I hate this. I absolutely hate this. I’ve accepted my selfishness on this subject. He can’t give up dunking. Sometimes, you have to make a statement with a thunderous dunk. You have to wow the fans. There are moments you have to fuel the GIF beast and video demands of social media. Morant, please still give us one or two a game. And maybe one baptism of a defender at the rim per month? Please! We’re begging you!
Report Card SZN
Many surprises in the West Q1 grades
Almost every team in the league has now hit the 20-game mark on the season, and that means we’ve made it through the first quarter of the season. Remember when the first quarter was over during grade school and you had to bring home your report card? Well, that’s happening with The Bounce! We’re giving out grades! We did the East yesterday and have the West grades today.
All records are through Wednesday’s action. Offensive and defensive rankings are from teams’ offensive and defensive ratings (points scored and allowed per 100 possessions).
Few quick notes on the grades:
- The Timberwolves have done a better job of late, but they’re still underperforming where they should be by a lot. I think the same thing about Sacramento too. Some of this is due to injury, but this team is too good to struggle.
- Teams like the Nuggets, Suns, Lakers and Warriors were a bit tougher to grade because they’ve seemingly had two or three different seasons each in the first quarter of the campaign. Tried to remain even and not get caught up in recency with it.
- Houston and Memphis are the biggest success stories of the young season. The Clippers are close to that too.
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(Top photo: Zach Beeker / Getty Images )