LIFE WITH ZION WILLIAMSON

With Zion Williamson’s return, the New Orleans Pelicans can finally field their strongest lineup against their opposition. Question is, would they be able to pull a stunning run for the last playoff position of the Western Conference? With 34 games left for them on the regular season and with a five-game disadvantage to the Memphis Grizzlies, Alvin Gentry and his team are hopeful that the teams ahead will start slipping up so they can gain some ground while putting some pressure on them. However, some factors could definitely play a role for the remainder of the season, which we thought should be carefully detailed.



1. NO BREAKDOWNS

With the addition of their highly anticipated prospect to the starting five, the lineup these past few games have been composed by Jrue Holiday, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and Derrick Favors. If you compare it to the first eight teams sitting in playoff position at the moment, the quality is not far behind, and could even be better than 1 or 2 teams. JJ Redick, Josh Hart, E’Twaun Moore, Jahlil Okafor and Jaxson Hayes are usually the players that come off the bench for Alvin Gentry, as they give the coach an increased shooting ability to compliment Ingram’s and Williamson’s slashing prowess. However, the biggest threat the New Orleans Pelicans have faced in these last few years have been health problems. It was the same with Anthony Davis and Boogie Cousins, and it already started with their main rookie, although not in the same tier. If injuries don’t stand in their way, they could have a great shot of making the playoffs, as one of the reasons we’ll detail it on the next point.

???? Final Numbers from Cleveland ????@Jrue_Holiday11 28 pts, 8 reb, 4 blk@B_Ingram13 24 pts, 6 ast, 9-13 FGM#JJRedick 15 pts, 3 ast, 3 reb@Zionwilliamson 14 pts, 9 reb@NikMelli 11 pts, 4 reb, 3-5 3PM#WontBowDown pic.twitter.com/R47JC5fJxA — New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 29, 2020

2. STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

According to Tankathon, the Pelicans have one of the easiest schedules remaining in the league. They stand at 26th place, with Atlanta being No. 30. Taking a quick look at the teams ahead of them, Portland comes in 17th, San Antonio in 14th and Memphis in 3rd. This could be a great boost for them, as they have a positive record against sub-500 teams with 11-8. Obviously, Williamson’s development will make or break this team, but even if we don’t see any type of evolution in Zion’s game this year, he’s still a very good player, capable of contributing both on offense and defense. The most difficult matchups they’ll be presented are Milwaukee, the Lakers (x2), Clippers, Utah and Miami, as 3 of these 6 matchups will be at home, while the others on the road.

After tonight, the Pelicans are 9-3 since Dec. 23.



The only teams with a better record over that span are the Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz and Milwaukee Bucks.



Also, Pels have the easiest strength of schedule remaining of every Western Conference team, according to ESPN BPI. — Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) January 17, 2020

3. COACHING

The other important aspect I thought it was worth reflecting was Alvin Gentry. Coaching the Pelicans since 2015, Gentry joined the franchise labelled as a very good coach, but he hasn’t left his mark yet. When the Pelicans had a chance to go deep in the playoffs with Anthony Davis and Demarcus Cousins, the latter suffered a gruesome Achilles injury, setting their chances to almost zero. Does he deserve more burn with a young and talented roster and see if he can work it out, or is he being tested immediately? With Williamson’s arrival, the spotlights are also on him to deliver results, especially when you have some very good players already on the team. Gentry’s playstyle can bring out Lonzo’s and others full potential, as it relies on a high-tempo offense, but could it work on playoff environment? There are a lot of doubts surrounding the former Phoenix Suns head coach, with reports coming out this season stating, that a change could be imminent. A playoff berth, however, could cement Gentry’s position for the next season.