Picture of 2019 Pelicans open practice via en24.news

Rookie Class:

The New Orleans Pelicans have a LOT of rookies on their roster this season, eight to be exact, and of course, they drafted some of the most exciting players. Let’s get some of the inconsequential players out of the way early. Javon Bess, Jalen Adams, Kavell Bigby-Williams, and Zylan Cheatam largely will not have much of a role on this team. They may get to play a bit if the team struggles and they are out of the playoff picture early on. The first rookie that may actually have some sort of a role is Nicolo Melli from Italy. He is a 6’9” big man who signed a contract with the Pelicans this summer. I have to admit I had not really heard of him too much until I went to watch the Pelicans vs Bulls preseason game. At that time I noticed his presence on the floor more than I had expected. He was in a weird place as he was in the mix early in the game but was not included so much as a part of the garbage time finishing lineups. He showed nice shooting touch and was confident in his game which can be useful for the Pelicans moving forward. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is one of their prospects that I have very high hopes for, although it will be difficult for him to get consistent minutes considering their rosters. The 6’5” guard will have a tough time getting minutes over the other guys on the squad. This team has a lot of backcourt depth, but Nickeil Alexander-Walker has the potential that may even allow them to trade away one of the other guys to create some minutes for Nickeil. That would make for another NBA family in the league as his cousin is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The next prospect, and one that may really raise some eyebrows this season, is Jaxson Hayes out of Texas. He already made a splash during Summer League and that should continue into the season. He was jumping off the screen and on this team, he will not be asked to do too much more than that. Jaxson Hayes will set good screens, dunk, rebound, and play some defense. He is the type of player that will develop into a solid role player in this league. Lastly, there is Zion Williamson out of Duke. No matter your level of exposure and interest to the NBA you have likely heard of him. Let’s not say too much about him in this section.

Most Exciting Player:

There is only one option for this, and nobody can argue about it. Zion Williamson is the most exciting player to watch on the Pelicans this season, and possibly even in the entire league. He is the most hyped prospect since Lebron James entered the NBA 16 years ago. Zion Williamson had a soldout crowd for an open practice in New Orleans that in years past has been extremely empty. There is a buzz in the air about basketball in New Orleans all in the midst of a good Saints season. This is a rare sight but is no surprise. I also am a part of this hype as for the first time in my life I went to a Bulls game and spent almost the entire time watching the Pelicans warm-up instead. Zion Williamson was a dunking phenomenon in high school and added to his legacy during his time at Duke by showing his expanded skill set. As he enters the NBA, expectations are extremely high despite the Pelicans’ efforts to temper them. I hope to see Zion even further add on to his game this season. The final missing piece is a consistent jump shot. Zion himself has acknowledged that he needs to work on this part of his game and I fully expect him to do so. The level of commitment he has shown means he will put in the work off the court and that will translate to the floor. There is a reason the Pelicans got a bunch of nationally televised games this year, and it sure is not the acquisition of Derrick Favors. Zion is ready to put on a show and I am here for it.

Westgate Over/Under: 38.5

Last season the Pelicans went 33–49 but the roster construction is completely different. With this new roster, the team should look to make a significant improvement. They would require only a 6 win increase to surpass that total. Now that the team has moved past the Anthony Davis saga they can look to the future. Many young guys will get minutes on this team but there is a solid veteran presence at the same time and they will remain competitive on most nights this year. Look for this team to surpass the 38.5 win projection.

Happiness is a Function of Expectations:

New Orleans has had few reasons to be extremely optimistic in recent years. Each season there was an expectation and a hope that Anthony Davis would leap into the MVP conversation and take them to championship glory, and each season something went awry. This year, expectations will not be as high, and yet they make reach the same level of success as most Anthony Davis led teams did. This team has kept its identity by holding onto Jrue Holiday but used the Anthony Davis situation to their advantage to build a young and promising core around him. At the end of all the wheeling and dealing the Pelicans enter the 2019–20 season with Zion Williamson, Jaxson Hayes, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, JJ Redick, Derrick Favors, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart all as new additions that can all make an impact. This team may not have a single player who, at this point in time, is Top 10 in the league, but out of that list they also do not have any truly bad players. This type of roster construction leads to consistency and the ability to stay this way in the event of any injuries. The Pelicans will have ups and downs throughout the season just as all young teams do, but with the combination of a veteran presence, I believe they will be competing for a playoff spot at the end of the season. This will be a realistic goal and as an organization, they should look to make the playoffs this season in order to get some experience for their young players early on in their careers.