Are the New Orleans Pelicans for real? What we need to see vs. Clippers
The New Orleans Pelicans will be tested on this road trip, starting with the Clippers.
The New Orleans Pelicans were supposed to kick off their seven-game road trip vs. Dallas, but the game was postponed and now the Pels move on to the Clippers.
This game is going to be important for many reasons. The Pelicans have lost three in a row in miserable fashion and would love nothing more than to get a win against a very good Clippers team.
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And with back-to-back games against the teams from Los Angeles, we are quickly about to find out if the Pelicans are for real.
These next two games will be a big test for the young Pelicans, who would love to get a split to start the road trip.
Here are three things we need to see against the Clippers.
New Orleans Pelicans: Who is going to defend the wing?
Who will defend Kawhi Leonard and Paul George?
The New Orleans Pelicans struggled to defend wings last season and the Clippers have two of the best in the game.
Brandon Ingram will have to spend some amount of time on one of them, but who will defend the other is a mystery.
We might see a larger dose of Josh Hart, although he has already been playing big minutes off the bench.
Lonzo Ball and Eric Bledsoe are candidates but those are tough matchups for any guard, no matter how good a defender.
Stan Van Gundy may have to play some zone in an effort to keep Leonard and George from going off and it is going to take a team effort, as the Pels just don’t have the personnel to match up.
It could be a long night for Pelicans’ defenders, especially if Paul George is knocking them down from long-range as he did in their last win over the Bulls.