Text/byronyen
The 2022-23 NBA season has been going on for 2 months: The New Orleans Pelicans recently went on a 5-game hitting streak, usurping the Suns and becoming the newly released No. 1 in the Western Conference. Even though the Pelicans have capitalized on the fact that the league’s “strong East and weak West” have switched powers in recent years, and several strong teams in the West have been troubled by injured soldiers, the Pelicans are by no means a fluke ( not to mention they have their own injury issues). Their lineup is both broad and deep, and with Zion’s strong return, they should have had a chance to make it big in the West before the season begins. The question now is how long can they last and how far can they go in the playoffs? Because their training is not without hidden concerns. This article will discuss what space for reinforcement do Pelicans have?
In addition to the gradual adaptation of Zion to meet the standard, Ingram, McCollum and Valanciunas and other veterans (Ingram is full of 25…:P) support the scene, their young players continue to grow, Jones, Murphy, Alvarado have outstanding performance, and rookie Daniels also won a certain amount of playing time (19.1 minutes per game). It is worth mentioning that Murphy, after a sleeper rookie season, ushered in a breakthrough this season. The data speaks for itself: last season he played 13.9 minutes, averaging 5.4 points per game and shooting 39.4%, 38.2%, and 88.2% from the field. This season he has played 28.7 minutes, averaging 13.5 points per game, and has shot 48.1%, 41.4%, and 95.5% of field. Everyone started arguing, isn’t he a Murphy-level shooter, with a height of 6’9 and a wingspan of 7’0, the turret every team dreams of? How could it be the 17th pick that was taken on the cheap by the Pelicans?
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Both Ingram and Jones are recovering from their injuries, and when they return from injury, one of Green’s concerns is how to choose between Jones and Murphy (Zion, Ingram, McCollum and Valanciunas are regular starters). Personally, I don’t think it makes sense to remove Murphy from the starting lineup given how hot he’s been lately, and his defense (with his size and athleticism) isn’t bad either. Relatively speaking, even though Jones, who has made a fortune on defense, has shooting courage and is eager to break free from the limitations of defensive locks and dead ends, his efficiency is still a little worse (28.6% shooting three-pointers this season). So it might be a reasonable choice to keep Murphy in the starting lineup to increase the team’s offensive efficiency, and then, depending on the formation of the opponent, have Jones come off the bench to serve someone.
Next, discuss the imperfections of the Pelicans lineup, will there be any issues? Is there room for reinforcement? Before the season begins, I personally think there are two points worth noting about the Pelicans’ lineup. The first point is whether Valanciunas is suitable to pair with Zion, or ask the question from another angle. How much will Valanciunas performance (playing time and stats) be excluded from Zion? ? The second point is that the Pelicans start without a traditional point guard, obviously there are gains and losses, part of the gain is their wingers: Ingram, McCollum, Jones (or the future Murphy) will give opponents offensive and defensive endgames in terms in size. More pressure, but what about leakage? Don’t they really need a point guard on the floor?
First, predictably, Valanciunas’ data (or not?) is really down, last season he maintained a double ten (17.8 points/11.4 rebounds) and his playing time exceeded 30 minutes for the first turn in career. This season’s 13.4 points/9.1 rebounds are still standard, but playing time is down to 23 minutes. Valanciunas, traditional big center with slow movements, even if he has good outside skills, will still hinder Zion when he uses his trump card by “quickly rushing into the penalty area” (because the opposing center defending Valanciunas will defend Zion, i.e., Valanciunas C ‘ is a Taiwanese word for “barring the way” in the field).
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But for the combination of Valanciunas and Zion, I see it like this: however small the ball, the team still needs someone to defend the country and watch the penalty area! In some places, Zion has to adjust, after all, not everyone plays three-on-three bullfighting. Adams (at the Grizzlies) and Zion can’t be replaced by Valanciunas, and if Valanciunas isn’t perfect, then another replacement? In fact, there aren’t many people who can be replaced. There is only one person in the NBA who can protect the frame and not block Zion’s way. That person is now in Los Angeles… In general, the Pelicans’ problem isn’t serious, because Nance and Hernangomez are still useful on the bench who can be rotated, but Hayes, who has a one-year contract, has been completely abandoned.
The second problem with the Pelicans appears to be a bigger one, which is they don’t have a traditional point guard in the starting lineup. Although Ingram, McCollum and even Zion have good assisting skills, those who are playing will agree that it is one thing to pass and assist, but quite another to organize the attack and control the pace. Imagine, when they meet old ball teams like the Suns and Boston, the Pelicans can easily drop the ball and make mistakes, or crash in singles with insufficient time, or rush back after making a mistake. Brain congestion…. Now it seems that the Pelicans problem could be big or small (as I said there are gains and losses), and it seems to be more serious than the Valanciunas problem, but it has not reached the point of no immediate adjustment. But I vaguely feel that if the Pelicans are to go to the next level and compete on the Central Plains, sooner or later they’re going to have to fix this.
How to fix (get a point guard)? I have listed three versions below: “Fantasy”, “Real” and “Negative”. The so-called “dream version” deal is that the Pelicans can trade Ingram for Simmons! It seems a little crazy, Simmons is not available yet or not, but I think it’s a deal where both sides get what they want. If the Pelicans get Simmons, that means they have a top-notch point guard and top-notch defense (rightfully knocking down Jones). Even if Simmons’ outside line isn’t good (well, there’s no outside line), it can be made up for by Murphy and McCollum You must know that McCollum deliberately playing an assist role this season has hurt his offensive efficiency. Is the combination of Zion, Simmons, McCollum, Valanciunas and Murphy a more fantastic appetizer?
Why did the Nets make this deal? Of course, there is a chance of rebuilding. Irving is expected to leave this season. After the draw at the start of the season, it is difficult to guarantee that Boss Cai will not be determined and will simply cancel the retraining. While Durant isn’t easy to pin down, Ingram will at least be the focus of the rebuild. As for the value of Simmons and Ingram, which is higher? Both have 30 million contracts (Simmons is higher), I think the Pelicans will pay more if they want to trade, but still, even if the Nets don’t win Hayes or Graham, the Pelicans have more draft picks. Just take one and add it. But next year’s Lakers first-round pick (exchange rights) owned by the Pelicans is obviously negotiable, because if the Lakers fail to reach the playoffs, the Pelicans still have a chance to bet on French tower Wembanyama!
What about the “real version”? In addition to not having a starting point guard, the Pelicans also lack a shooting guard with sufficient bench firepower. What the Pelicans are doing now is increasing Alvarado’s playing time and also using Graham as a backup shooting guard, and the two often play together. While Alvarado’s performance is getting better and better, there’s no doubt that he can have an impact on the existing Pelicans’ starting lineup, especially since he’s at a physical disadvantage when he plays with McCollum. So a more practical arrangement is for the Pelicans to make a small deal of updating the backcourt lineup. Of course Hayes and Graham, who have already played fewer minutes than rookie Daniels, could be used as bargaining chips. As for trade goals, Kennard of the Clippers, Curry of the Nets and Bruks of the Pistons can all be considered.
In the end, the so-called “negative version” is to do nothing, not rely on external recruitment but solve the area commander problem through internal promotion. Because the Pelicans got the eighth pick from the Lakers in this year’s draft, Australian combo guard Daniels, although he is still 19 years old, has a high defense rating and has a good performance (Green The coach also put deliberately he is the owner), there is indeed a possibility of succession in the future, but are the Pelicans really willing to do nothing and wait for him for 2 or 3 years? In addition, the Pelicans unexpectedly signed a new contract (more than 17 million in 4 years) with Lewis, who played only 24 games last season and is still recovering from his injury this season. So there are three young guards in the Pelicans bullpen, including Daniels, Alvarado and Lewis, waiting to make their debuts, but it’s still an old question: Which of them can make the Pelicans starting lineup? At least not now.
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