New Orleans Pelicans: 5 bold predictions for the Pelicans before preseason

Prediction #4: Both Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson will make All-NBA

Another guy I think people are sleeping on is Brandon Ingram, who has put on strength and is ready to take the next step as a player.

That will start with improving his defense, but I also think we’ll see more of Ingram as a passer and rebounder, so he will fill the stat sheet and end up on the All-NBA team.

This is less of a bold prediction about Zion Williamson, who will be an MVP candidate this season if he stays healthy and the Pelicans improve.

Prediction #5: The New Orleans Pelicans will have a top-15 defense

The Pelicans should have an elite offense again this season but it won’t matter unless they improve defensively, which I think they will.

The Pels don’t need to be the top defense in the NBA to make the playoffs, but they need to be in the top half. The additions of Naji Marshall, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III and Jonas Valanciunas should improve the Pels’ overall defense and make them considerably more versatile than they were last season.

They now have the long and athletic wings they’ve lacked for the last two seasons and are better equipped to deal with the size of the Western Conference. This will be enough to get the Pels into the top half of the NBA defensively, which will be the key to their season under new coach Willie Green.