The Stats Say the New Orleans Pelicans Have the Best Starters

Though they didn’t get as much time together as they would have liked, the New Orleans Pelicans had the best starting five in the NBA according to the statistics.

We recently ran an article comparing the New Orleans Pelicans’ starters to the starting lineups of the Los Angles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks to see how they stacked up against the league’s best.

Though the Pelicans won just one position (shooting guard), a deeper look at the numbers shows that the starting lineup as a whole might be best in the NBA.

In a recent edition of “Did You Know That…” Jim Eichenhofer broke down some numbers that might surprise fans of the New Orleans Pelicans.

While the New Orleans Pelicans’ starting lineup of Jrue Holiday, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and Derrick Favors logged just 230 minutes together, it was enough top put them atop the statistical elite.

According to Eichenhofer:

"“Of the league’s 34 lineups that have logged 200-plus minutes this season, New Orleans’ group had the No. 1 net rating, outscoring opponents by 26.3 points per 100 possessions.”"

This is especially impressive given that the team didn’t have much time to play and gel with rookie Zion Williamson, who didn’t come back from injury until late January.

In case you were wondering, the New Orleans Pelicans’ net rating was 7.2 points higher than the Milwaukee Bucks, the NBA’s best team.

This teaches us a couple of things about the Pelicans. Firstly, fans should be excited, as they have one of the best starting lineups in the league.

Secondly, health matters. When you consider the Bucks’ starting five played nearly double the amount of minutes together, it shows how much injuries affected the Pelicans.

Finally, the New Orleans Pelicans need a better bench. The gap between their starters and bench lineups is huge, so the Pelicans clearly need more depth and to use their best players more efficiently.

Part of this comes down to coaching, as Alvin Gentry didn’t always do the best job of staggering his starters to keep at least one of the best players on the floor at all times.

The Pelicans will have a chance to bolster their second unit in both free agency and the draft and will look for guys who can close the gap in talent between the starters and the bench.

It’s an exciting time to be a fan of the New Orleans Pelicans and the numbers show that it will only get better the more they are together.