New Orleans Pelicans: Predicting season stats for the point guards

The New Orleans Pelicans will have some new faces in the point guard ranks this season but it is unclear if they have gotten much better.

They swapped out Lonzo Ball for Devonte’ Graham, which should be about a wash, as both players shoot and assist at a similar rate.

The New Orleans Pelicans hope for internal improvement out of Kira Lewis Jr., who David Griffin apparently wants in the starting lineup, but would probably best be served coming off the bench.

They also added Tomas Satoransky in the Lonzo Ball trade. Satoransky is a decent bench contributor who will give the Pelicans some insurance and size behind Kira Lewis Jr.

This is not a high-profile group, but could they be better than last season? Let’s take a look at some season stats predictions for the point guards and the reasons why it will happen.

New Orleans Pelicans: Season stats for the point guards

Tomas Satoransky

Last season: 7.7 points, 4.7 assists and 2.4 rebounds

This season: 5 points, 3.5 assists, 1.5 rebounds

A lot of people don’t want to admit this, but Tomas Satoransky is better than Kira Lewis Jr. at this point in their respective careers, but will he get a chance to prove it?

I think Lewis Jr. is going to be given every opportunity to play big minutes off the bench, but if he struggles, expect Satoransky to come on. I don’t think he’ll play 22 minutes per game as he did last season but I can see him taking over the backup role at some point.

His numbers will go down because he will be playing less, but don’t be surprised if he eventually pushes Lewis Jr. out of the rotation. If so, these numbers will go up.

Kira Lewis Jr.

Last season: 6.4 points, 2.3 assists, 1.3 rebounds and .7 steals

This season: 7 points, 4 assists, 1.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals

While I do think Kira Lewis Jr. will play more, I don’t think that is going to translate into more points, as he just hasn’t shown that he can shoot yet.

He does take care of the ball, is a good passer and on-the-ball defender, so I expect his assist and steal numbers to go up. If Lewis Jr. can progress, he can turn the bench into a weapon, as he has the speed to get steals and push the pace in transition.

I also see a scenario where he plays poorly and is pushed out of the rotation by Satoransky, so I think Lewis Jr. will end up with slightly better numbers but not make a huge leap.

Devonte’ Graham

Last season: 14.8 points, 5.4 assists and 2.7 rebounds

This season: 16 points, 6.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds

I think Devonte’ Graham has the chance to benefit the most from playing with Zion Williamson. Unlike Lonzo Ball, Graham is used to playing off the ball and doesn’t mind the role.

I think he’ll seize the opportunity to become more of a spot-up shooter, and will get better looks with Zion drawing all of the attention.

He’ll also benefit from feeding Zion et al. in transition, which should boost his assist numbers.

While these three might not be household names, they should produce at the same level or better than the point guards did last season.