New Orleans Pelicans: 2 possible starting lineups with Zion Williamson out

The New Orleans Pelicans start their preseason tonight in Minnesota vs. the Timberwolves but will be without their star Zion Williamson.

Zion is unlikely to play in any of the preseason games according to David Griffin, which is not a great way to start the season, but on the bright side it will give the Pelicans the chance to experiment with some different lineups.

The Pelicans are deeper and more versatile this season and Willie Green has a lot of options when it comes to lineups and minutes.

I am sure they will spend the preseason experimenting, especially if Jonas Valanciunas also misses some games. He is currently listed as day-to-day on the Pels’ injury report.

Here are two starting lineups  I’d like to see while Zion Williamson recovers from his foot injury, one with Valanciunas and one without.

New Orleans Pelicans starting lineup without Jonas Valanciunas and Zion Williamson

• PG: Devonte’ Graham
• SG: Nickeil Alexander-Walker
• SF: Brandon Ingram
• PF: Naji Marshall
• C: Jaxson Hayes

This might be the starting lineup against Minnesota if Valanciunas is out and I really like it. There is a lot of length and versatility with NAW, Ingram, Marshall and Hayes defensively and they should have plenty of scoring with Ingram, NAW and Graham.

This will be a fast-paced group that will try to get out and run and should be fun to watch. Devonte’ Graham is a guy people are sleeping on this season and I think he could be the X-Factor in their improvement. Expect him to come out with a chip on his shoulder and have some big games in an expanded role early in the season.

New Orleans Pelicans: The big starting lineup with Jonas Valanciunas

• PG: Nickeil Alexander-Walker
• SG: Trey Murphy III
• SF: Brandon Ingram
• PF: Naji Marshall
• C: Jonas Valanciunas

This is another starting lineup the Pelicans might experiment with at some point in the preseason. If they wanted to have more shooting off the bench, then they could split up NAW and Graham, making one of them the 6th man and the bench unit’s primary scorer.

I like the size in this lineup, as I think the Pels should go “jumbo” at times and use their length to create mismatches.

With Zion Williamson out, now is the time to mess around with some of these groups, and Willie Green has a lot of versatility and combinations to work with.