New Orleans Pelicans: 3 things to watch out for in preseason game vs. Timberwolves

The New Orleans Pelicans will start their preseason tonight on the road vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Pels will not be at full strength, with Zion Williamson not expected to play and Jonas Valanciunas listed as day-to-day on the injury report.

This will probably lead to a lot of strange groups on the floor together and we could get a glimpse of pairings and combinations we’ll see throughout the regular season.

It will be fascinating to see who gets the start with two guys possibly out and the Pelicans will be leaning heavily on their young players as they battle it out for minutes and try to establish a role in the rotation.

Here are three things to look for in the first game of the 2021-22 campaign for the New Orleans Pelicans.

New Orleans Pelicans: Brandon Ingram’s leadership

Brandon Ingram is a soft-spoken guy who doesn’t always have a lot to say on the court, but he needs to take more of a leadership role and he said as much during the Q&A at media day.

Ingram looks ready to do it, as he has put on some muscle and is saying all of the right things about defense and taking on a more vocal leadership role in the offseason.

He can show it tonight by setting the tone on defense and trying to stick with the fast-paced .5 offense the Pelicans have been running in training camp.

I’d like to see Ingram be more of a facilitator in the first game, getting his teammates involved and starting a culture of sharing the ball.

The New Orleans Pelicans need to improve their ball movement and that will start in game one with Brandon Ingram.