New Orleans Pelicans: Probable Lineups and Rotation vs. Utah Jazz

New Orleans Pelicans’ Rotations: Power Forwards

Starter: Zion Williamson

Backup: Nicolo Melli

The power forward position is where the New Orleans Pelicans can create matchup problems against just about anyone.

The Utah Jazz are light at power forward, so the Pelicans need to dominate this matchup, feed Zion as much as possible and let him do his thing.

Melli is also sneakily important, as he is the guy often left open when teams double one of the Pelicans’ scorers. If Melli knocks down open shots, the Pelicans are nearly unstoppable offensively, but he’s been largely inconsistent going back to before the hiatus.

After a big February game against the Warriors, Melli went cold, shooting only 20.5% from long-range in the games leading up to the break.

He missed a bunch of open ones against the Bucks, going two of seven on mostly wide-open 3-pointers. This is something to watch when the games get real, as the Pels need Melli to be more consistent.

Another thing to watch is Melli and Zion sharing the floor. They have the potential for a two-man game that will be difficult to stop, as Melli can pop out for three’s if they go under the screen or pass it to the rolling Zion if they don’t.

Zion is the key to all of the Pelicans’ lineups, as he can play just about anywhere and with any combination of players. We are likely to see he and Melli together at times and this is a duo that could be an offensive weapon for Gentry.

Power forward will be the Pels’ biggest advantage against Utah and they need to dominate.