New Orleans Pelicans: It’s Time! 3 Things to Watch vs. the Utah Jazz
The New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz will kick of the NBA restart.
After more than four long months of waiting, the New Orleans Pelicans are finally about to play meaningful basketball.
The Pelicans and Jazz have already played three close games this season, so expect this one to be a war.
The Jazz won two of the three matchups, but one was by two points on a blown call and the other was also single digits. The Pelicans lone win came in overtime, as Brandon Ingram scored a career-high 49 points.
The Pelicans have not been at full strength in any of the games against the Jazz, so should be able to throw some looks at Utah that they have not seen.
Here are three things to look for as the New Orleans Pelicans try to take the first step towards the playoffs.
Zion’s Legs
Zion Williamson looked amazing coming out of hiatus and a picture of his slimmer frame nearly shut down the Internet.
It looked like he was poised to take over the league, or at least Gotham City.
Then he had to leave the bubble for eight days to attend to a family matter and wasn’t able to practice with the team or participate in any of the three scrimmage games.
Zion is officially a “game time” decision according to Alvin Gentry, though he is expected to play.
The question is how much?
Zion has only had a chance to take part in a couple of five on five scrimmages, and after eight days on the outside, he is probably not in basketball-ready condition.
This could become a factor in a close game, and something the Pelicans have dealt with before, as Zion was looking fatigued before the suspension of play.
Hopefully the Pels can work him into the lineup and will only need him for 20 or 25 minutes, but it will be interesting to see how much Gentry chooses to push him if the game is close down the stretch and he has played big minutes.