New Orleans Pelicans Schedule and early challenges
Things will get easier
There have been some things stacked against the New Orleans Pelicans early this season that will require time and patience to work out.
The Pelicans are still adjusting to losing Jrue Holiday and working Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams into the starting five.
They are still getting to know their new head coach, who had about two weeks to prepare for the season and is still trying to figure out how best to use the talent on the roster.
They have players adjusting to new roles, getting bigger minutes and figuring out how their game fits. Lonzo Ball and Nickeil Alexander-Walker have both been inconsistent but it’s way too early to give up on either of them.
The Pelicans have played one of the toughest schedules in the NBA so far this season and things will be easier in the second half.
Yes, they lost some winnable games against bad teams, and if they do turn things around the losses against Indiana, OKC and Minnesota will loom big.
But they’ve also lost to teams like the Lakers and Clippers, which wasn’t surprising, and were unlucky to catch Utah for back-to-back games while the Jazz are rolling.
Obviously, the Pels have to win the games and matchups on paper don’t matter, as they recently found out in the terrible loss to Minnesota.
But the Pels will have a chance to string together some wins, especially in the second half. Hopefully, they aren’t too far out of it by then for it to matter.