The New Orleans Pelicans want to contend for the Larry O’Brien trophy in the coming years. Let’s see how the current roster stacks up against the NBA’s two best teams.
It may seem premature to hold the New Orleans Pelicans up against the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers, the two best teams in the league, but the young Pels are on their way.
Just two seasons ago the Pelicans made it further in the playoffs than Milwaukee and the Lakers didn’t even make the playoffs. Things change quickly.
The Milwaukee Bucks have the best record in the NBA this season at 53-12. They’ve gotten to where they are while resting starters by having them play reduced minutes in each game instead of sitting out whole games; blasting teams with a +11.2 net rating each game.
The Los Angeles Lakers hold serve in the western conference at 49-14 with a +7.4 net rating per game. Their starters are playing more than expected this season, LeBron James even said “If I’m healthy, I play.” according to the Los Angeles Times when asked about load management.
The New Orleans Pelicans on the other hand are currently 3.5 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth seed in the West with a 28-36 record and a -0.8 net rating.
The team has played much better since Zion Williamson made his NBA debut in late January, but injuries and a slow start (that doesn’t include an 0-13 stretch) really put the team behind the eight-ball.
We’re going to compare the starters of each of these teams by position and see who the winner is at the end.
For this I’m going to use the lineups for both Milwaukee and Los Angeles that got the most playing time over the season and for the New Orleans Pelicans, the lineup the team has used since Zion’s debut.
While this may seem like cherry-picking to get the New Orleans Pelicans more “wins,” I feel this is a better representation of what the team will be in the future.
Here’s the group of players and the positions they will be evaluated at (all will be looked at in order of team record),
Point Guard – Eric Bledsoe, LeBron James and Lonzo Ball (yes, LeBron is a point guard)
Shooting Guard – Wesley Matthews, Avery Bradley and Jrue Holiday
Small Forward – Khris Middleton, Danny Green and Brandon Ingram
Power Forward – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson (talk about a stacked position group)
Center – Brook Lopez, JaVale McGee and Derrick Favors
Let’s get to it.
Point Guard
You can quibble with my placing of LeBron at point guard but let’s be honest, he’s pretty much always been the lead ball handler on his teams throughout his career.
This season he’s just been given the title of “point guard” even though in effect he’s been one for a while now. Either way, he leads the NBA in assists.
Here’s a breakdown of the point guards.
Eric Bledsoe – 15.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists
Bledsoe has long been a defensive menace that teams try to stay away from. He made the NBA All-Defense First Team for the 2018-19 season. He’s been good at getting to the basket throughout his career but his jumper has the tendency to be streaky.
As long as opposing point guards have to go through him to start their offense, Bledsoe’s team will have a head start. Something the Bucks have used to great advantage this season as Bledsoe plays the fewest minutes per game of this group.
LeBron James – 25.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 10.6 assists
What is there to say about a living legend playing some of the best basketball in his 17th NBA season?
Well, for the first time in his career LeBron is leading the league in assists (10.6) by more than one assist per game. Trae Young is second with 9.3.
He’s also shooting better from both two-point (57%) and three-point (34.9%) range than his career percentages (54.9% and 34.4% respectively).
With LeBron leading the team there’s never a doubt they will get into their offensive sets and score efficient baskets. When LeBron wants to guard the opposing teams best player he has shown he’s still up to the task.
While it may not have happened as often this season, there’s every reason to believe he was saving some for the playoffs.
Lonzo Ball – 12.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 7.0 assists
The strides Lonzo has made this season have shown that he is one of the best young point guards in the NBA.
Eight years younger than Bledsoe and 13 years younger than LeBron, Lonzo will be around for a long time.
He’s eligible for a contract extension if/when this offseason begins, and it will be interesting to see if the New Orleans Pelicans offer him a max deal or wait a year like they did with Ingram.
Capable of defending multiple positions, Lonzo offers a ton of value as an all-around player. If he can maintain the gains he’s made as a three-point shooter this season he will only become more dangerous.
Verdict – LeBron James
LeBron is just too good of a player for this one not to go his way. Lonzo has gotten much better this season and if LeBron wasn’t in this category probably would have won.
Shooting Guard
This group is mostly composed of 3-and-D type players who can guard multiple positions if needed to.
Wesley Matthews – 7.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists
Matthews is a consistent defender who may get lost on a list of names full of All-Stars or All-Defense level players.
His 2.4 Defensive Win Shares this season are the most by any player in this group. Matthews came to Milwaukee on a veteran minimum one-year contract with a player option for next year.
The Bucks are over the moon with his production at that cost. Milwaukee uses their deep rotation to keep all their players playing fewer minutes than they likely would on a different team.
Matthews is playing the fewest minutes, 24.7 per game, since his rookie year in the 2009-10 season.
Avery Bradley – 8.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists
Like Matthews, Avery Bradley has bounced around the league the last few seasons but he always provides defensive value. A two-time All-Defense shooting guard, most recently in 2015-16 when he made the first team.
Bradley is a solid player who keeps the ball moving and doesn’t make many mistakes. Even in his limited role on the Lakers he still average more assists (1.3) than turnovers (1.0) per game.
This is what a team is hoping for when they sign a player like Bradley.
Jrue Holiday – 19.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.9 assists
Holiday, unlike the two players listed before him, is a key offensive player for his team.
His three-point shooting percentage may be the lowest of this group (35.7%) but he’s asked to do much more than run around screens and spot up on the offensive end of the floor.
A two-time All-Defense selection himself, Holiday is more than capable of defending nearly any player in the NBA.
He’s also asked to be the lead ball handler and play maker when Lonzo Ball goes to the bench, something Holiday doesn’t want to do full-time but can for spurts.
Advantage – Jrue Holiday
This one isn’t close either, Holiday just does more than the other two and does them at a higher level.
Small Forward
This group has two All-Stars and an All-Defense selection, each of these players can do everything their team needs of them.
Khris Middleton – 21.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists
Middleton is constantly overlooked by fans around the league, he’s frequently labelled as one of the most overrated and overpaid players in the league.
But if any team could add Middleton they would; he’s only missed a large chunk of the season once (torn hamstring in the 2015-16 season) and is the type of long, sharpshooting wing most teams covet.
Not only does he play in nearly all of his teams game but he’s a consistent do-everything player; when Giannis misses time the offensive burden is placed on Middleton and he delivers.
Fans may overlook him but you shouldn’t, the value he provides his team is enormous.
Danny Green – 8.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists
Green is a former All-Defense player and a two-time NBA champion. He’s usually asked to defend the best shooter on opposing teams and is always up to the task. Green knows not to make risky passes on offense and to move the ball if he’s smothered.
While he doesn’t provide the same level of offensive output as the two people he’s grouped with, he does give the Lakers some much needed floor spacing.
He’s always moving on offense, forcing the defense to move with him or risk a wide open three from a career 40% three-point shooter.
Brandon Ingram – 24.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists
Ingram has made a leap this season and will get a max contract this offseason.
Each year of his young career he’s gotten better, averaging more points and assists each season. Ingram has been everything the Pelicans could want in his first season in New Orleans.
While his defense isn’t at the same level as his scoring, he still competes on that end of the floor.
He will need to improve at defending bigger players if the New Orleans Pelicans try playing Ingram at the power forward next to Zion but having been named an All-Star this season there’s not much to worry about with Ingram.
Advantage – Khris Middleton
The all-around production he provides makes him more valuable than Ingram, who while getting better just isn’t the defender Middleton is.
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.
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.
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.
Center
This group provides elite rim protection and leads some of the best defenses in the NBA this season.
Brook Lopez – 11.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists
Brook Lopez has changed in a way not many would have envisioned back when he was with the Nets. A dominate post player back in those days, Lopez has become more of a 3-and-D type of player with the Bucks.
His three-point percentage is way down this year (29.6%) from last (36.5%), but the rest of his numbers are pretty much the same.
Lopez’ biggest asset is the rim protection, as his 2.4 blocks per game rank second in the NBA behind only Hassan Whiteside (3.1). Teams also shoot a lowly 47 percent of the shots he defends to go in (best in the league).
JaVale McGee – 6.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists
McGee is another player who’s changed a lot over the course of his NBA career. Although his changes have more to do with the mental aspect of the game, he was known as a player who would lose track of the action in the game and make boneheaded mistakes.
This year he’s been excellent in his role with the Lakers, averaging 1.5 blocks per game and playing good sound basketball. The Lakers use him and Dwight Howard as the center for most of the game and then “play small” by moving Anthony Davis to center late in games.
Derrick Favors – 9.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists
Favors impact as the anchor of the defense has been much-needed in the first season without Anthony Davis on the roster. He’s also been very efficient from the field, as his 62% field goal shooting is the highest in his career.
Favors has meant a lot to the Pelicans when he’s on the floor. The problem is he’s missed 19 games this year. If he had been healthy all year the Pelicans would most definitely be in better position to make the playoffs and compete.
Advantage – Brook Lopez
The rim protection and health (he’s missed only four games this season) give Lopez the advantage here.
Results
Milwaukee Bucks – 3
Los Angeles Lakers – 1
New Orleans Pelicans – 1
Not super surprising considering the Bucks have the best record this season and are completely dominating teams. With this lineup they have a +180 net rating, although the Bucks and Lakers would tie with two apiece if Davis were classified as a center.
The New Orleans Pelicans only having one “win” in this should not be dispiriting, most of the roster is very young and getting better. Give it a couple of years and the results could be much more favorable for them.
Thanks for reading, and stay safe out there!