New Orleans Pelicans Doppelgängers At The 2018 World Cup

The World Cup is the most watched sporting event on the planet and it is down to the quarter finals. The Pelicans were one of the final eight teams left alive in the NBA playoffs last season, and most postseason rotations get shortened to about eight players logging significant minutes. The World Cup players most like a Pelicans cornerstone for next season is detailed below.

With free agency changing the dynamics of the Pelicans roster, each player will take on a slightly new role. Coaches and scouts will veer from looking for pure individual attributes to players that show a certain attitude or team dynamic. Which World Cup players are in the same position now as the top eight Pelicans players? Read on for the Pelicans World Cup doppelgängers.

Anthony Davis – Kylian Mbappe (France)

Anthony Davis at 19, and today, is the best bet to inherit the NBA crown from LeBron James. Kylian Mbappe is already being hailed the new king of football at 19 years old. LeBron, Messi and Ronaldo have worn the crown for the better part of the last decade but neither have the potential of Mbappe.

Davis and Mbappe will be the kings of the new era. Davis has won at the collegiate and Olympic levels while Mbappe has starred in Europe’s domestic leagues and the Champions League. His coming out party in the group stages mirrored Davis’ rise at the end of last season.

Mbappe treated Argentina like Davis did Portland. No two young players more exemplify the power, speed, and intelligence need to excel in the new itineration’s of their respective sports. Both use their exceptional talents not to hog the limelight but to help others excel. Both have been called too deferential even when they are their teams’ best option.

Davis and Mbappe have gotten past that part of their careers if only their last dozen games are considered. Mbappe has taken hold of the leadership role this World Cup, and is France’s star for the next decade. Davis’ leadership after Cousins went down last year was exceptional.

If neither developed any further, they could be held up as near perfect examples of stars. Both are still learning and have games that will age well. If your team has either, they have a chance. Paris Saint-German is fielding offers for Mbappe after only one season while Davis is constantly the subject of clickbait rumors from the coast.

Julius Randle – Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)

Coaches are always looking for high energy players who are not afraid of mixing it up. Players that are afraid of contact, in soccer or basketball, should beware when Julius Randle or Romelu Lukaku of Belgium are in the game. Randle is replacing an injured and now gone DeMarcus Cousins. Lukaku now has full run of the front lines in Manchester, with an ACL tear causing Zlatan to also find employment in California.

Randle had the glamour Los Angeles contract. However, he spent his first few years in the league on a middling Lakers team going nowhere. Lukaku was brought up by the posh Chelsea. He was then loaned out to mid-table development clubs, where he excelled. With both players on contracts with teams offering only a diminished role, Randle asked to be renounced while Lukaku got his transfer to a big club offering the spotlight.

Both players are capable of huge numbers on average teams. Lukaku’s work occupying defenders and tracking midfield runs takes stress off lesser players. His effort on set pieces and hold up play has relieved pressure from the Belgium defense numerous times. Randle will need to hustle more than Cousins, and occupy the bigger post players that can knock the Pelicans stars off their game and away from the rim.

 Jrue Holiday – Luka Modric (Croatia)

Anthony Davis may get the headlines, but against the better teams it was Jrue Holliday’s performance that usually made the difference. His effort on both sides of the ball swung the Portland series from a likely seven games to an impressive sweep. Modric’s midfield work allowed his team’s other stars to focus only on the goal.

Ronaldo gets every headline at Real Madrid. Mandzukic scores many of the goals for Croatia. However, it was Modric’s attention to detail most responsible for guiding Real Madrid’s three-peat in the Champions League. Jrue’s attention to detail led to stellar defensive plays throughout the postseason.

Modric’s stability and organization kept Croatia together in trying times. Even after his penalty kick miss, he made his PK in the shootout. He didn’t crumble in the moment, and saw his team through the remaining minutes. Next season, Jrue will need to assert himself more with Cousins gone, in much the same way Luka Modric plays a more enhanced role with Croatia than he does with Real Madrid.

Modric is never asked to step out of his game, just as Jrue looked settled into his two-guard position last season. Without Rondo next season, Holiday will not be asked to do things that aren’t in his repertoire. Rather, he will be asked, like Modric for Croatia, to do more of his subtle work more often.

Nikola Mirotic – Harry Kane (England)

Unathletic, previously unwanted or scorned from the team, and yet persistent in their game. This could describe both Nikola Mirotic and Harry Kane.

Mirotic has had detracted calling him a un-athletic, C+ grade Dirk. Kane had his contract loaned out to lower league clubs for years, as no one could determine how Kane’s game fit the team’s style. As it turns out, the ability to put the ball in the area where the points count is the most sought after ability in soccer and basketball.

Mirotic came to the Pelicans from Chicago with worries about his locker room chemistry and his on-court fit. Ryan Anderson had already failed in the Gentry system. Mirotic was Ryno-redux with a beard. And then he shaved and became the perfect fit next to Anthony Davis.

Harry Kane got a dozen games every few years with the English youth national teams. Kane was sent to massive English League outpost like Millwall, Norwich City and Leyton Orient. Having been signed with Tottenham Hotspur since 2009, Kane finally got a chance to lead the lines instead of deferring to higher paid veterans.

Kane has run with the opportunity like a freshly shaved Mirotic. With 19 goals in 27 games for the English national team, and over 100 with Spurs in 150 games, Kane has demonstrated his unorthodox game is worth building around.

Mirotic came to the Pelicans and took a few weeks to fit in. With a full offseason and no Cousins to work around, Mirotic can feature more of what he does well instead of acquiescing to a higher paid star.

Elfrid Payton – Denis Cheryshev ( Russia)

Payton and Cheryshev were both forgotten or cast off in the last few seasons. Payton was traded for a couple second round picks that won’t ever make a roster while Cheryshev was left off of Russia’s 2014 team for the indignity of being the only Russian player plying their trade outside of Russia.

Both Payton and Cheryshev will be asked to score by slashing in from the wing or providing good service. Each are not good enough, not efficient enough, to slack off on defense though neither are well suited for handling many defensive responsibilities.

Payton signed with the Pelicans in part to remake his reputation with a contender instead of toiling with also-rans. Cheryshev finally returned to the Russian fold only in March and was on the bench for the Russian’s first game.

A first half injury provided Cheryshev his opportunity and he seized it. Russia is presently beyond delirious. The national team beat Spain and is still alive in the tournament. With his goals against Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Cheryshev has become a national hero.

Cheryshev is taking advantage of his second chance to live up to his natural ability. After some obstacles and distractions,can Payton help even the sober among us in the French Quarter forget about Rondo?

E’twuan Moore – Emil Forsberg (Sweden)

Moore and Forsberg are both asked to do a bit on both ends of the court/field. Moore is best used spotting up or running off screens for three-point attempts. They are both streaky, but can really pressure the opposing defense when they get to their spots. Finding minutes and rhythm in the first team took time for each, but both regularly convert once comfortably in the team’s rotation.

Forsberg was eased into the Swedish setup as he continued to star in the Swedish leagues. Eventually Forsberg was trusted with minutes in the Euro 2016 qualifying games. Sweden’s patience was rewarded when Forsberg scored the winner against Switzerland, sending his country to the quarterfinals.

Moore is situated to have his most productive season yet. The last few seasons, injuries to players ahead of him on the minutes allocation board have seen his time fluctuate wildly. Comfortably in the rotation, Moore will have an opportunity to earn Gentry’s trust as a competent role player for a contender. If not, Moore will instead be lingering on the fringes of the rotation with more mentions in trade rumors than stat sheets.

Darius Miller – Diego Laxalt (Uruguay)

The Pelicans and Uruguay have several other players tasked with leading the attack. Both teams also rely on other players as defensive anchors. In between those lines, teams need shuttling players, as they are called in soccer. These are players that keep the ball moving, provide the proper spacing on offense, and are positionally sound support on defense.

The Pelicans utilize Miller in the same way Uruguay has Laxalt to slow down the opposition’s stars well before they enter the danger areas. Miller is never going to stop James Harden. Laxalt will likely have problems corraling Kylian Mbappe. If only Miller and Laxalt can contain the other teams dangerous players, their team has a chance.

Miller needs only to contain his defensive assignment, not completely mark a star out of the game. Laxalt does not need to deny Mbappe the ball, just deny him the space to move it forward. On offense, both players are asked to make the simple plays.

“Play the way you face” is a common refrain around the pitch. Miller and Laxalt are asked to play basic to help the team play better.

Solomon Hill – Casemiro (Brazil)

Fans know them by one name. There is only one Solo (I know, and I know)* as there is only one Casemiro. Before his injury, Hill was one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. Casemiro is one of the only defensive midfielders to keep Messi from celebrating regularly.

Where Hill is on a minutes restriction due to injury, Casemiro is on a yellow card restriction. If he picks up too many, Brazil is without their anchor. Not only is the defense exposed more often in his absence, the attackers do not have their ever-present life raft in possession.

Next: With younger, more versatile pieces, Pelicans set up to compete in West

Hill was rushed back from injury to aid the Pelicans playoff run. The Pelicans likely could have achieved the same record with Hill remaining at the physical therapist office. If Brazil get a comfortable lead, they should be cautious with Casemiro’s minutes. Fatigue leads to injuries and late challenges. Brazil can afford neither to their midfield metronome.

*Solo means one, and Star Wars is a different universe.