New Orleans Pelicans: 3 things we need to see vs. the Timberwolves

The New Orleans Pelicans have had one of the most difficult schedules in the NBA so far and it has helped lead to their 5-9 start.

Of course, there are plenty of other reasons for their struggles, but the schedule has been tough and will lighten up a bit against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are 3-9 to start the season.

This is a game the Pelicans should win, and if they don’t, it is fair to start asking some difficult questions about where this season is headed.

This is about as close to a “must-win” game as you can have this early in the season, but there are things other than a win that we’d love to see against Minnesota.

New Orleans Pelicans: Are the Pelicans a bad team?

Some proof that the Pelicans aren’t a bad team

The New Orleans Pelicans are a young team with a new head coach, five new players and are coming off a shortened offseason.

There are some legitimate excuses for why they have started poorly and there is still plenty of time for the Pels to turn things around.

They have only played three games against teams who are not playoff contenders, and two of them were against OKC.

The Pels have played both LA teams already and caught Utah for back-to-back losses in the middle of a red-hot streak.

These were tough games and no one expected them to win all of them, but if they lose to Minnesota? That is something different entirely.

The Timberwolves could be the worst team in the NBA, evidenced by the fact that they have already lost to Atlanta (twice) and the Wizards, two teams trying to tank

Good teams should beat bad ones most of the time. If the New Orleans Pelicans want to be considered a good team, then they have to beat the really bad ones, starting with Minnesota.