New-Look New Orleans Pelicans Ready To Test Houston Rockets

The New Orleans Pelicans have reason to be more excited than ever for the upcoming season. The matchup against the Houston Rockets lends credence to expectations the Pelicans can compete with a conference title favorite.

The New Orleans Pelicans had high hopes to begin last season. The team was coming off of a second-round playoff exit to Golden State, but the sweep of Portland led to massive expectations. Those dreams were soon shattered by Anthony Davis’ trade demand, but now the Pelicans fanbase is as enthusiastic as ever.

The statistical differences of the opening night rosters just serve to fuel optimistic expectations. The new matchup outlook with the Houston Rockets ignites reasonable playoff excitement.

The Pelicans beat Houston by 19 but only eight players logged substantial minutes. Surely Alvin Gentry will have more confidence in his bench to start the 2019-20 season. The New Orleans Pelicans has arguably the most bench depth in franchise history.

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Anthony Davis played 39:07, with almost all of that time coming at the center spot. Against Clint Capela, he made 13 of 21 shots, with none being from three-point range. Davis hit on six of seven free-throw attempts giving him 32 points on the night. He also grabbed 16 rebounds.

Julius Randle handled the bulk of the other frontcourt minutes, logging almost 24 minutes and going 9-15 from the field for 25 points. He hit two of four three-point attempts and five of six free throw shots. He also had eight rebounds.

Davis and Randle are gone now. The New Orleans Pelicans have faith Derrick Favors can produce similar numbers as he starting five. Favors per-36 numbers suggest he could contribute ninety percent of Davis’ production and only sixty percent of the cost.

Zion Williamson and Favors should be able to win the battles against Capela, just like Davis. They should not be asked to play almost 40 minutes in many games. Along with Nicolo Melli, the trio should give the Pelicans a more flexible, and formidable, frontcourt rotation without stressing anyone to the point of injury.

Kenrich Williams, Cheick Diallo, and Jahlil Okafor all played the last 95 seconds in last season’s opener. Okafor, Williams or Jaxson Hayes will have to contribute more, to ease the minutes burden on Favors and Williamson.

Of course, there are other motivations beyond playing time to encourage the frontcourt reserves. Okafor must prove he can contribute, or risk the bust label being permanent. A trip overseas might be in his future, ala Darius Miller. Hayes and Williams just want to be on the active roster in New Orleans, not Erie.

Speaking of Miller, he played 20 minutes and contributed one assist, with no points and no rebounds. The competition for those 20 minutes is now five players deep. Miller will want to show he was worth close to the seven million dollar contract he signed this summer.

Jrue Holiday was on the court for just over 38 minutes against Houston. He hit none of his six three-point attempts and failed to get to the free-throw line. Nikola Mirotic picked up the slack, hitting on six of eight shots from deep, and going 11-20 overall.

Even with David Griffin’s permission to dominate, Jrue Holiday will have off nights. The New Orleans Pelicans are more capable than ever of winning those games this season, without taxing the top end of the roster. Griffin has given Holiday plenty of support this offseason, it will be used as needed especially against other playoff contenders.

E’Twaun Moore logged the fourth-most minutes in last season’s first game. Moore ran out to a plus-30 line in 33:44 of court time. He went 8 -12 from the field for 21 points. Moore is a top-end shooting talent. He will not be needed for over 30 minutes per game but could hold on to most of those minutes. However, Moore’s big game is just as much of an anomaly as Holiday’s off night.

Miller and Moore will lose most of their minutes to Brandon Ingram. The hope is Josh Hart and Frank Jackson can spell Holiday and Lonzo Ball for five minutes. Nickeil Alexander-Walker will get his chances should Hart and Jackson failed to meet Gentry’s demands.

Lonzo Ball will take the bulk of Elfrid Payton’s abandoned time. Payton played 36:52 against Houston, missing both of his three-point attempts but going 5-12 from the field for 10 points. He also had 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Lonzo Ball is capable of a few triple-doubles this season. He is a superior defender and could be better offensively this season, should he improve on his free throw average and drawing fouls. Ball’s passing is already at an All-Star level.

Brandon Ingram may turn out to be the New Orleans Pelicans next All-Star. He is a more threatening talent that Solomon Hill, who also played a dozen minutes against the Rockets. The Pelicans’ new talent foundation becomes playoff-caliber when JJ Redick is added to the rotation.

The minutes’ distribution will be one of the toughest decisions for the coaching staff. The team roster hierarchy is too deep to settle on a strict rotation that locks players out of the lineups. Still, the Houston Rockets are the new top team to measure against.

Jrue Holiday and Lonzo Ball versus Russell Westbrook and James Harden will be the featured matchup. The Pelicans have the depth to overrun the Rockets reinforcements. They also have the talent to sustain success, instead of burning out through a lack of load management.

The New Orleans Pelicans celebrated on Opening Night last year but the point is to close the season celebrating. The spirit of success from the Pelicans playoff sweep of Portland has not been lost. Now the team can build on the champion of that series to compete in the playoffs once more.