The season isn’t off to a great start for the New Orleans Pelicans and their fans.
The team announced that 2019 first overall pick Zion Williamson will be missing a sizeable amount of time due to a knee injury. The current estimates are 6-8 weeks, which means he could miss over 20 games.
That’s a bummer for everyone, as he’s the most hyped rookie since LeBron James. Williamson balled out in four preseason games and boasted that man-child athleticism and power we’ve all been raving about, averaging a team-leading 23.2 points per game on an efficient 71.4%-shooting – and yes, it included a handful of rim-rattling dunks.
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE PELICANS?
A lot. Even without Zion Williamson, the Pels are still one of the most (if not the most) fascinating young teams in the league. Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Jaxson Hayes, Nickeil Alexander-Walker – the youthful talent in the group cannot be overstated and they also have the veteran presence of Jrue Holiday, JJ Redick, and Derrick Favors, three guys that have over 30 years of NBA experience between them.
This Pelicans squad can score (125.6 PPG in the preseason) and they will run the floor, be explosive in transition, and look to impose an identity like a classic upstart team would. We can also wipe some doubts away as to how questionable their outside shooting would be since they just finished the preseason 4th in made threes per game (14.6) and third in three-point field goal percentage (39.5%).
A DEFENDING CHAMP WITH A CHIP IN ITS SHOULDER
As defending champions for the first time in team history, the Toronto Raptors will look to kick off the season strong and avoid falling victim to the ever-haunting curse of a championship hangover, especially now that their superstar, Kawhi Leonard, is gone.
The preseason showed some promise that the Raptors will not fade into obscurity post-Leonard. They went 2-1 when most of the main guys – Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, Marc Gasol, and Fred VanVleet – played. It included a 134-129 win that had them going toe-to-toe with the high-powered offense of the Houston Rockets.
Offense, however, will only be secondary to the team-oriented, blue-collar team. Defense got them a ring and the blueprint should stay as is. With their size, the Raptors rely a lot on clogging the paint and fast rotations on kickout plays.
Toronto finished 5th in defensive rating last season, and was top inside the 10 in points allowed, blocks, steals, and opponent field goal percentage.
PASCAL SIAKAM: THE NEXT MAN UP
Pascal Siakam, the reigning Most Improved Player, is indeed the next man up. The 25-year-old is a long-armed, 6-foot-9 forward that gives 100% on both ends, a certified two-way player that’s poised to rise further and has an entire franchise committed to making sure that he can and will.
He put up 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and 1.7 steals per game in the preseason while seeing 23.6 minutes of action per contest.
PREDICTION:
The Raptors will take this one, but expect the Pelicans to provide a good preview of what they can do.
