The Pelicans may be the biggest mystery in the NBA going into the 2024-25 regular season.
There’s no doubt this team is talented. If Zion Williamson picks up where he left off last season before he was injured in the Play-In Tournament, there potentially could be an MVP candidate leading them.
Still, there’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding what this team will look like, how it will play and how effective it can be if there aren’t any significant roster changes coming in the future.
Despite coming off one of the most successful regular seasons in franchise history last year, Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin made it clear that this group needed to make changes. Complacency was unacceptable.
In the end, this team certainly looks different than it did last season, and all signs point to some noticeable changes to its style of play. But will that be enough?
Here are some of the biggest questions that’ll determine just how successful this season will be in New Orleans:
Will small ball work?
Since the start of training camp, Pelicans coach Willie Green has repeatedly answered different versions of the same question. As much as he’s tried to downplay it, there’s no avoiding how much the lack of a true center stands out to anyone who glances at this roster.
How are they going to keep bigger teams off the offensive glass? What will they do when superstar centers like Nikola Jokić, Joel Embiid or Anthony Davis come to town? If Williamson isn’t the center when they go small, who is?
Green will try to come up with different solutions to address those questions. But the honest answer is that there aren’t good answers with this current roster.
Some nights, they’ll have to match the size of other teams and put Daniel Thies or rookie Yves Missi in the starting lineup. While those guys are serviceable, they’ll probably struggle in certain matchups against some of the elite bigs around the league — just like most other centers. There will be long stretches when they don’t have a traditional big in the lineup. Some nights, they might not play any at all.
As much as conventional lineups and position fits bring a level of comfort night-to-night, this team’s path to greatness is by embracing the unconventional.
Early indications are that the Pelicans plan on going into opening night with a starting frontcourt of Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones, next to their dynamic backcourt duo of Dejounte Murray and CJ McCollum.
Most onlookers would say Williamson is the center in that group. Green has made it clear that he doesn’t view the Pelicans star as a center, regardless of which other four players are on the court.
“Zion is not a 5. Let’s take that out of our terminology,” Green said last week during training camp in Nashville. “He can definitely become a good screener and (a big) catching it in the pocket. But we’re still figuring it out.”
Whether people call Williamson, Jones or Ingram the center in the starting lineup, it really doesn’t matter. Ultimately, what this team needs to figure out is how much it can win without putting another big on the floor who will clog the lane for Williamson.
If the Pelicans can consistently fly around on defense, make enough outside shots and avoid getting punished on the boards, this team could be revolutionary. But it will be a constant battle for the players on this roster and Green’s coaching staff to cover up this group’s weaknesses and capitalize on its strengths.
Will Ingram get traded?
As much as Ingram and members of the front office have tried to say all the right things over the past few weeks, there will be a cloud hanging over everything the 27-year-old forward does this season because of all the uncertainty attached to his future.
Ingram is in the final season of his contract, and while he and the team are allowed to agree on an extension at any point up until June 30, the Pelicans have made it fairly clear that they are comfortable with allowing the former All-Star to enter unrestricted free agency next summer.
Any time a player finds out — directly or indirectly — that his current team doesn’t view him as part of the organization’s future, there will inevitably be some lingering tension. This situation is even more complicated considering what Ingram has meant to the organization in its post-Anthony Davis rebuild over the last six seasons and that Ingram has made it clear behind the scenes he would prefer to stay in New Orleans.
However, with the Pelicans’ financial restrictions, a potential big-money extension for Trey Murphy III soon and Ingram’s reluctance to take less than what he views as his true value, it’s highly unlikely the two sides will find common ground.
Then, to make matters even more complicated, there isn’t much of a market of potential Ingram suitors. If there were a team excited about bringing him in and giving him the money he’s looking for, that deal would’ve already happened.
So, Ingram and the Pelicans will probably have to make their (somewhat awkward) marriage work this year — even if there’s an understanding on both sides that the marriage will be over once the season ends. They certainly can figure out how to make everyone happy along the way, especially if the Pelicans are winning, but these circumstances are far from ideal.
Then, there’s another wrench that could get thrown into all of this:
What happens if Ingram returns to All-Star form this year?
Throughout the week the Pelicans spent in Nashville for training camp, there was a constant buzz among people in the organization surrounding Ingram’s phenomenal play in practice sessions. After one practice, Green said that Ingram’s “not just fitting in, he’s dominating.” A major factor in the excitement felt by those close to the team was that Ingram is apparently making a conscious effort to modify his shot profile and eliminate some of the inefficient midrange jumpers that have become a staple in his game.
If he starts playing really well, would that lead to more teams throwing trade offers at New Orleans? Would the Pelicans be reluctant to consider such deals if Ingram is playing an integral part in their success? Would it be worth it to move a surging Ingram if it gives the team a viable path to filling its hole at the center position?
Regardless of how this story ends, the dynamic between Ingram and the Pelicans will be fascinating all year.
Will Zion succeed in his pursuit of ‘vengeance?’
Along with all the optimism concerning Ingram’s play in training camp, there’s a similar excitement over Williamson’s physical shape and the mental approach he’s taking into the start of the 2024-25 season.
Williamson could be entering this season in the best place he’s been mentally and physically since becoming a pro. During my one-on-one sitdown with him over the summer, he talked about being more intentional with the work he’s doing off the court and the communication he’s maintaining with the team daily. The results were quite impressive in his first preseason action against Orlando on Monday, when he finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes.
GO DEEPER
What’s behind Zion Williamson’s newfound drive? Trust
With a healthy, in-shape and motivated Williamson going into the year, the Pelicans may be able to bank on a jump in the standings if Williamson transforms into a legitimate MVP.
To make that dream a reality, Williamson has to put serious effort into improving two of the biggest issues he’s been plagued by for years: injuries and defense.
The injury bug is somewhat out of his control, even though being in better shape should improve his chances of staying healthy. But there needs to be a recommitment by Williamson to the defensive end, and he needs to pick up where he left off at the end of last season when he was easily playing the best defense of his career.
BI ➡️ Z 👀 pic.twitter.com/5CuvUDhgtA
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) October 10, 2024
When he’s locked in, Williamson can be a menace just about anywhere on the floor with his size, strength and quickness. To fulfill his potential, Williamson has to consistently show up for his teammates by being in the lineup and remaining committed to the defensive end, even during some of the days when he doesn’t feel like it.
The Pelicans have been one of the deepest teams in the West each of the past few seasons, but the lesson they’ve learned is that competing with the big dogs at the top of the conference requires having a big dog of your own. While Williamson and Ingram have played at a very high level over the past few years, they haven’t been quite good enough to be considered among the perennial All-NBA contenders.
If Williamson can step into that class and maintain that level of dominance all year, it’ll go a long way toward covering up whatever warts that may have been a concern going into the season. With a valid MVP candidate, the Pelicans can quickly move into the discussion of dark-horse Western Conference contenders.
If Williamson is truly out for “vengeance,” and he’s on a mission to remind the league just how great he is, it would bring a lot of clarity to a team that’s been battling to figure out what the path forward should look like.
How many more 3s?
There continues to be a steady message from the coaching staff that the 3-point attempts need to dramatically increase for this team compared to where they’ve been in recent years.
GO DEEPER
Pelicans pushing 3-point increase as most viable path to improved offense
Last season, the Pelicans finished 24th in 3-point attempts despite McCollum breaking the franchise’s single-season 3-point record with 239 treys in 66 games.
The path to a big jump in 3-point attempts isn’t as murky as some may believe. With McCollum, Murphy and Jordan Hawkins all expected to get big minutes this season, New Orleans could be in the discussion for the most potent outside shooting trio in the league. Those three will be hunting 3-pointers all year, and if Ingram continues what he’s done in training camp, his 3-point attempts should jump exponentially. But making that big of a jump seems somewhat unrealistic.
HAWK.
flamethrower. up to 18 PTS pic.twitter.com/Uy49haupAq
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) October 7, 2024
Boston was the only team in the NBA that attempted more than 40 3-pointers per game last season, and only two others — Dallas and Sacramento — averaged more than 39. The “40 3s per game” club will likely grow in the coming years as more teams lean on shot efficiency numbers to form their offense, but getting up to 40 attempts per game this quickly seems like an uphill battle.
Either way, this team needs to focus more on the outside shot to juice up the offense and open up driving lanes for Williamson and Ingram. The bigger question is how big the difference will be between how the offense looked last year and how it looks this year with all these new five-out looks. Turning into a top-5 offense would be a great way to cover up some of the deficiencies they have in other areas.
(Top photo of Brandon Ingram: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
