New Orleans Pelicans: Pros and Cons of Making the Playoffs

The young New Orleans Pelicans are running out of time to catch Memphis for the final spot, but not making the playoffs could have some hidden benefits.

After an odd yet hilarious morning from LaVar Ball on Fox Sport’s Undisputed, his New Orleans Pelicans over the Lakers playoff prediction got me thinking:

What are the benefits of the New Orleans Pelicans making the playoffs? Are there any benefits to them missing the playoffs?

A lot goes into player and team development: coaching, time played together and bonds from success and struggles alike.

Every team’s ultimate goal should be to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy in June, not land the best ping-pong ball in the lottery (Zion draft withstanding obviously.)

Pundits and media experts say the NBA Playoffs are a grown man’s sport and that young teams usually fall off once the playoffs hit.

It isn’t an incorrect statement for the most part. Veterans with the experience of being in deep playoff/championship runs have the edge over teams who haven’t sniffed an iota of that success.

Given the limited playoff experience held by the current New Orleans Pelicans team, there are certainly some benefits to getting that run in the playoffs, but there also might be some pros to not making it for this young squad.

The fight for the eight seed in the Western Conference is a tight race between Memphis, Sacramento and the New Orleans Pelicans and these final weeks of the regular season are going to prove pivotal.

After last night’s heartbreaking loss to Dallas, the New Orleans Pelicans find themselves in the 12th position, five games back of the eight seed Memphis, with three teams in between.

While it would be great if the Pelicans could make a run to the playoffs and get that marquee first round matchup with the Lakers, it’s time to start examining the reality of them not making it.

Let’s dig in.

Dancing into the Playoffs as the Eight Seed

Optimism is a great trait to have. Since Zion returned from injury, the city of New Orleans has been filled with optimism for all the right reasons, win or lose.

Even the two losses to the Lakers gave reason for hope. The New Orleans Pelicans played them tough and had the basketball world ready for a Lakers vs. Pelicans first round matchup.

The storylines pretty much write themselves.

Zion vs LeBron James. Anthony Davis vs New Orleans and his old team. The Young Up and Coming Team vs. The Established Veterans. The Face of the NBA vs. the Future. What’s not to love about that potential matchup?

I love Ja Morant. But Morant vs. Rajon Rondo doesn’t have near the appeal as Zion vs. LeBron in the Western Conference Playoffs.

This young squad would grow exponentially with the atmospheric change from the mundane regular season to the electricity of late April to May basketball.

The sense of urgency in a Do-or-Die scenario will show what this team is made of. And the growth going into the 2020-21 season will show.

Recent evidence shows the growth of young stars like Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Ben Simmons, and Joel Embiid after their playoff runs in the last few seasons.

The power of playoff experience matters and shows in player development. The extra time together will benefit the team for years to come.

The New Orleans Pelicans would get a chance to see how their players react under the increased scrutiny of the playoffs, and getting those reps is important for a young core that has championship aspirations.

Even if they got swept in the playoffs, the young New Orleans Pelicans would gain valuable experience and show they are on the right path after trading superstar Davis.

Now, on the other hand…

9th Seed or Lower and Going Home for the Summer

Even if the New Orleans Pelicans do not get into the playoffs, not all is lost.

Here is some optimism for the glass-half-full point of view. Tempering expectations can help a Zion-led squad avoid some of the issues that plagued Davis in his time as a Pelican.

Davis spent seven seasons in New Orleans and had two playoff trips with only one series win and it left a lot to be desired. So where does that leave this version of the New Orleans Pelicans?

While making the playoffs and potentially getting bounced early would provide atmospheric familiarity it could damage confidence going forward and lead to media narratives that could ultimately hurt the team and its chances of keeping this core intact.

There will be detractors saying Zion can’t lead a team to playoff success, just like they did with Davis. That’s unfair to put on a 19-year-old kid but the Twitter-verse and NBA Twitter fans don’t deal in nuance or fairness.

It wouldn’t be long before the “Can the Pelicans Re-Sign Zion?” articles starting coming out, with fans wondering if the Pelicans were going to waste Zion’s prime like they did with Davis.

If too much pressure is put on Zion to win now, be the face of the franchise, beat LeBron and do it all as a teenager, he may decide that the pressure to carry the team is too much and take his talents elsewhere, as Davis essentially did.

Zion is a kid learning how to play NBA ball despite being astounding so far into his young career.

But this type of pressure and media attention could get ugly. Some outlets were already wondering if Zion should leave  before he was even there, and it won’t help if he is expected to make the playoffs in his first, injury-shortened year in the league.

Instead of anointing Zion as the next face of the league against LeBron, the Pelicans could quietly reshape their team so that when they do make the playoffs they are ready to win.

The magic of David Griffin was alive and well when the Pelicans landed the top lottery ping pong ball while having the odds to land the eighth pick a year ago, and we can hope for a similar luck in the lottery this year.

Griffin also understands the pitfalls of trying to build around a young superstar.

With growth over the season and offseason and a new higher draft pick, the New Orleans Pelicans could be players in the Western Conference for years to come.

I’m personally leaning towards getting the team healthy and prepped for a run next season instead of potentially getting bounced brutally in the first round.

There are definitely benefits for a young team to get those first reps in the playoffs, but there are also some pros to not putting too much on Zion’s shoulders right away. The New Orleans Pelicans still have a chance to get there, but if they don’t make the playoffs there are some hidden benefits.