Let’s hope the New Orleans Pelicans are paying attention to how the Atlanta Hawks have built around star Trae Young, as the Pels can do the same with Zion Williamson.
The Hawks are just three wins from the Finals, something most people didn’t think was possible, at least not this season.
It has happened because of the ascension of star point guard Trae Young, a ball dominant scorer who doesn’t play much defense.
The Pelicans have one of those of their own in Zion Williamson, though the two couldn’t be much different as players.
The Pelicans would love to make a leap like Atlanta has this season, but they are a long way from doing so. Here is how Atlanta has built around their star and how the Pelicans can do the same with Zion Williamson.
The Atlanta Hawks have a secondary star to go with Trae Young, and the Pelicans already have one for Zion Williamson
No star can do it alone, so the first thing you need to do is find a complementary second player to go with them.
The Hawks have John Collins, who is by no means a superstar, but has put up great numbers the last two seasons and can occasionally carry the team if Young has an off night.
Luckily, the Pelicans already have their guy in Brandon Ingram, who is about as good a secondary star as you will find in the NBA.
The Pelicans have their two stars, that is not the issue, what they are missing is the rest of the team.
The Pelicans need to find defenders to put around Zion Williamson
One of the glaring holes the Pelicans need to fix this offseason is to find some defenders to put around Zion Williamson.
If you are going to have a superstar who isn’t a great defender, you need other guys to pick up the slack. The Pelicans thought they might have gotten two in Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams last offseason but Bledsoe regressed and Adams is really only good on the interior.
The Hawks, on the other hand, have some very good defenders in Clint Cappela, De’Andre Hunter and even Cam Reddish has improved on that end and been pretty good.
The Pelicans don’t really have any elite defenders at all, and the only perimeter defenders who are even good are Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball and Naji Marshall. Hart and Ball might not even be on the team next season and Marshall is still an unproven rookie who will be headed into his second season.
The Hawks have shown that you don’t need a team full of All-Defensive players to be good, but you do need willing defenders who are committed on that end and don’t necessarily care about their offensive stats.
The Pelicans need to get tougher and better on defense, that much is obvious.
The New Orleans Pelicans need shooters to put around Zion Williamson
Trae Young is the clear number one option for the Hawks, but when he is doubled or the defense collapses in the lane, he has shooters to kick out to, which Zion Williamson does not. The Pelicans need shooters and lots of them.
Lonzo Ball was much improved this season from behind the arc, but is still wildly inconsistent. Brandon Ingram prefers to do most of his damage from the mid-range, though he is still an above average 3-point shooter.
The Hawks have Danilo Gallinari, Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdonovic, all of who are all shooting a good percentage on a high volume.
Bogdonovic is shooting 43 percent on 7.6 attempts per game, while Huerter shoots 36 percent on 5.6 attempts and Gallinari hits 40 percent on five attempts per game.
When defenses double or collapse the paint on Trae Young, he has teammates that can make you pay.
I think most teams are happy to let Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram fire 3-point shots all day if it means Zion Williamson doesn’t have the ball in his hands in the lane.
The Atlanta Hawks have done a great job building around their star, and the Pelicans can take some lessons as they try to do the same with Zion Williamson.