Ranking the New Orleans Pelicans’ Starters Against the NBA’s Best
By Tim Burke
Power Forward
The deepest position group in this ranking, the power forward position is stacked.
There are two of the top-five players in the entire NBA here as well as a young player we all thought would win the Rookie of the Year award before the season. It’s also somehow the youngest position group in the exercise.
Gainnis Antetokounmpo – 29.6 points, 13.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists
The reigning MVP and presumptive favorite to win the award again this season, Giannis is having an absolute monster season.
The Greek Freak has the Bucks running smoothly as they are able to coast through the fourth quarter of most games.
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His three-point shot has gotten better from last season and he’s shooting 30.6% from deep this year; not well enough for team the be concerned about staying tight to him when he’s behind the line, but enough that he’ll still make them if left wide-open.
On defense Giannis is the next evolution of LeBron, capable of guarding every position if necessary but three inches taller. The Bucks have the best defense in the NBA this year with a 101.9 Defensive Rating and Giannis leads the charge here.
When he’s in the game the Bucks defense stifles opposing offenses to the tune of a 98.7 Defensive Rating, good for a 3.2 point increase.
Anthony Davis – 26.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists
Tough break for Davis being classified as a power forward here, but he insists on playing the position and not center. While being a top-five player in the NBA almost automatically means you’re the best player at your position, Davis just gets unlucky here.
A complete player, Davis excels in every part of the game. He’s a big who dominates the paint both offensively and defensively and handles the ball like a guard.
While it would be nice to see him averaging double-digit boards, the Lakers play three players at a time who could be classified as bigs (Davis, LeBron and McGee).
Zion Williamson – 23.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists
While every NBA fan would have wanted to see a full season of Zion, the little bit we did get was truly special. From his summer league debut in which he stole Kevin Knox‘ soul and dunked it so hard he caused a delayed earthquake, Zion has been quick to show he belongs in the NBA.
His shooting still needs work but with everything else he provides for his team, worrying too much about that feels premature. The New Orleans Pelicans became a much better rebounding team after his debut in late January even though his personal numbers are low in this category.
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Advantage – Gainnis Antetokounmpo
Apologies to Anthony Davis and the season he’s had to this point, but with Giannis putting up back-to-back MVP caliber seasons, it’s an easy call.
The New Orleans Pelicans hope that Zion climbs to the top of this list within the next few seasons.