New Orleans Pelicans: 3 Takeaways from their massive win over the Bucks

Takeaway #3- The New Orleans Pelicans defense looks legit and that is scary

I know, they beat the Jimmy Butler-less Heat, and the Giannis Antetokunmpo-less Bucks, but the Pelicans didn’t just beat them, they dominated them. That has led me to believe that the New Orleans Pelicans are on the verge of being a great defensive team in 2021.

Just watch this unit, and you’ll see a defense that’s completely changed from last season. They play physically with Zion Williamson and Steven Adams in the frontcourt, they block shots, force turnovers, and most importantly they communicate!

So who does the credit go for this early turnaround? Obviously, Stan Van Gundy. He’s clearly come into this job with the vision of transforming this team’s defense and it looks like he’s done it.

The additions of Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe look perfect this offseason, while Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Zion Williamson all look like they’ve taken a step forward.

This is big for the Pelicans because if they can play defense like this over the course of the season, maybe they’ll win more than 17 games in the first half, and they’d definitely be in the playoff picture. In fact, I’ll say this, if the New Orleans Pelicans play this level of defense for most of the season, then I think they’ll win a playoff series! I’ll just leave it at that.

There it is, the New Orleans Pelicans have wrapped up their preseason and I’m feeling pretty confident that they can make a run early in the season given some takeaways from this game.