The New Orleans Pelicans are attempting to win with a makeshift bench

The New Orleans Pelicans are attempting to win with a rotation that of unproven players in 2021

I wanted to build on an idea that I briefly touched on earlier, and that’s the “bargain-bin” free agent shopping that David Griffin and his staff are doing for the New Orleans Pelicans.

It’s my theory that because of the money that the Pelicans are giving to their trade acquisitions of Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe, along with the max contract they awarded to Brandon Ingram, that the team’s governorship has decided that’s all the spending they’ll allow for this offseason.

That theory only makes sense given that the Pelicans are now awarding a ton of money to their current roster and also with the ongoing pandemic, revenues will be down once again in the NBA. That makes projecting the salary cap in the future a difficult task to accomplish. Plus, I doubt that the Bensons want to pay the luxury tax for a team that isn’t considered a title contender this season.

That’s why we’ve seen David Griffin now make some small signings for younger and unproven players, with the hope that they’ll break out and given this year’s roster some admirable performances. The question is, can the Pelicans actually make the playoffs this way? My take is that they could, but they’re playing with fire.

Why the New Orleans Pelicans unproven bench is a risky unit to bet on in 2021

The reason I’m concerned is that this is the route that the Pelicans took last year with their second unit too. The team acquired J.J. Redick but after that, they relied on unproven players like Frank Jackson, Kencrich Williams, and Nicolo Melli to play their best basketball.

That didn’t happen, and the team’s bench unit struggled for the entirety of last season. They finished a measly 15th in the NBA in bench scoring and 17th in the league in scoring efficiency. That’s not good.

This season the Pelicans added more players with higher ceilings to their rotation in Kira Lewis Jr., Wenyen Gabriel, and Ike Anigbogu to the roster. They’re also hoping that young players like Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jaxson Hayes are ready to take on bigger roles. Yet, the question remains, can these unproven players be a successful second unit?

It’s tough to answer and there’s no way to judge it, but one thing’s for sure, I think they have to if the New Orleans Pelicans want to make the playoffs in the Western Conference. Just look at the competition, the Lakers, Clippers, Mavericks, Nuggets, Trail Blazers, and Suns all have solid bench depth. Those teams are considered near locks for the playoffs this season, and that leaves the Pelicans to have to fight it out with the rest of the conference for one of the final spots.

Even in that mix, there are teams like the Jazz and Grizzlies who have some solid depth too. Given the fact that Zion Williamson is a player who needs to be managed and that this season is being played after a shortened offseason, the Pelicans are going to need depth to make it through the season.

I commend David Griffin for being smart in his approach and using the remaining money he had to sign players with upside, but we have to be prepared if it doesn’t work out. The New Orleans Pelicans could once again end up on the outside looking in this season as the 9th or 10th team in the West. I will say, that might not be entirely bad given how stacked the 2021 NBA Draft is, but I am the type of person who plays to win. So let’s hope this Pelicans rotation can pull it off!