The New Orleans Pelicans could use a variety of different starting lineups.
The New Orleans Pelicans will have some new faces when the season tips off in less than a month.
Last season, the Pels had the best starting lineup in the NBA for any group that played more than 200 minutes together, impressive considering that Zion Williamson was a rookie who didn’t get much chance to gel with the team before returning from injury.
Now, 40 percent of that starting lineup is gone after the Pels traded Jrue Holiday and let Derrick Favors walk in free agency.
Losing Jrue is going to be tough but the Pelicans should have a much deeper and better roster this season and will have future draft assets to use as well.
New Orleans Pelicans: Who will be in the starting lineup?
Next season’s starting lineup will be a little more difficult to predict, as the Pels are more flexible and could go in a number of directions.
It seems as though at least three of the spots are cemented with Zion at power forward, Brandon Ingram on the wing and Steven Adams manning the center position.
Lonzo Ball is also likely to start most games but will it be at the point? This is probably the Pels’ opening night starting lineup.
Starting Lineup #1
PG: Lonzo Ball
SG: Eric Bledsoe
SF: Brandon Ingram
PF: Zion Williamson
C: Steven Adams
The Pels are hoping Bledsoe can provide 80 percent of Holiday’s numbers while also playing lockdown defense on either of the other team’s guards.
Like with Holiday, Bledsoe and Lonzo will share primary ball-handling duties and both will play some on and off the ball.
The big change is Adams, who should be a much more effective offensive player than Favors as well as being a better all-around defender.
This starting five should again be among the league’s best but should have a better second unit led by J.J. Redick, Josh Hart, Kira Lewis Jr., Nicolo Melli and Jaxson Hayes.
The problem is that there is not a lot of playmaking in that group, especially if Kira Lewis Jr. is not ready for big minutes, which is why the Pelicans could go in a different direction.
New Orleans Pelicans: Who will start for the Pels?
Starting Lineup #2
If the Pelicans want to inject more playmaking into the bench unit, they could shake things up and use a different set of starters.
PG: Lonzo Ball
SG: J.J. Redick
SF: Brandon Ingram
PF: Zion Williamson
C: Steven Adams
In this version of the starting five, the Pels move Bledsoe to the bench in favor of veteran sharpshooter J.J. Redick.
There is a lot of appeal to this lineup, as it adds more shooting and floor spacing around Zion Williamson and Steven Adams. Bledsoe is a decent 3-point shooter but he is no Redick.
This lineup will definitely see a lot of time together because Stan Van Gundy will be trying out all manner of pick-and-roll options with Redick, who could be effective with both Zion and Ingram.
This also adds more playmaking to the bench unit, which is now more of a defensive squad with both Bledsoe and Hart able to defend all over the floor.
SVG will likely audition a lot of different lineups in the beginning of the season and I can definitely see this one gaining traction, especially early on.
New Orleans Pelicans: Evaluating potential starting lineups
Starting Lineup #3
The Pelicans have a lot of options for their starting five and could decide to promote Josh Hart into that role.
Hart was the glue of the bench unit last season and has proven himself to be a versatile player on both ends who really fits in well with any combination of players.
PG: Lonzo Ball
SG: Josh Hart
SF: Brandon Ingram
PF: Zion Williamson
C: Steven Adams
This lineup would be extremely versatile, as Josh Hart can defend both shooting guards and wings, which would allow Ingram to take the less offensive player.
This lineup would be a bruiser lineup without as much floor spacing but could potentially be elite defensively and practically impossible to stop in the paint.
The bench unit would now include both Bledsoe and Redick balancing the offense and defense at the guard position, though they would likely have to go small with no real backup for Ingram.
The truth is that the starting lineup only plays together at the beginning of the game and half, and SVG will be using a variety of different lineups and styles throughout the game.
The Pels have the personnel to go big and physical or to try and run other teams off the floor, so the lineups will change based on the opponent and who most impresses Stan Van Gundy in the preseason.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a lot of new faces and opportunities in the coming season and it should be interesting to watch how SVG uses the talent.