New Orleans Pelicans: 3 Reasons why they’ll win the Southwest Division

Reason #2- The New Orleans Pelicans’ young core will be consistently good for the full season

This the point most Pelicans fans have said about the Pelicans going into next season. After a season that saw Zion Williamson held back due to injury and a massive layoff due to COVID-19, 2021 will be the season when the Pelicans youth gels as a team.

I agree with this point. I think there’s a variety of reasons why this seems plausible. First and foremost, the Pelicans should have a Zion Williamson who’s healthy and in shape for the first time in his NBA career.

With Zion in that form, the NBA should watch out because he’s a matchup menace. Outside of Zion though, I expect to see improvements from all the young players on this roster. I think Brandon Ingram repeats his success from last season and Lonzo Ball returns to a consistent form.

I see outside youngsters leaping too. Jaxson Hayes should factor into some rim-protection duties, maybe Nickeil Alexander-Walker becomes the team’s sixth man, and Josh Hart becomes the perfect two-way shooter off the bench.

All of those are reasonable expectations for this Pelicans team and that’s before even considering the potential draft picks who’ll be joining the roster. Added bonus, the Pelicans’ new coach will be a coach completely focused on the development of the team’s youth. That should help foster my predictions.