Thanksgiving evaluation of the New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans are heading to Utah for their annual Thanksgiving back-to-back with the Jazz, which always seems like a good time to check in on how the team is doing.

They are also at the 20 game mark, and at just 4-16, it’s safe to say that no one is happy about the Pels’ record, though they’ve been without Zion Williamson all season.

I’m getting sick of typing “when Zion Williamson returns” (which now autofills on my computer), so am just going to talk about the team we’ve seen so far this season, as it is clear the Pelicans stink without their best player.

So let’s start with what has been good about the Pelicans so far on this Black Friday.

The New Orleans Pelicans should be thankful for…

Brandon Ingram, Jonas Valanciunas, Herb Jones, Devonte’ Graham, Josh Hart and Willie Green

This was the starting five in the last game vs. the Wizards and should be until, well, you know.

Ingram’s scoring numbers are a bit down after he suffered an early-season injury, but all of the signs are there for another strong season. He’s hitting a career high from 3-point range (39.1 percent), grabbing a career best 6.5 rebounds per game and notching 4.5 assists. He’s also averaging a career-high in turnovers, so BI needs to dribble less, make his move quicker and get rid of the ball.

Jonas Valanciunas looks like the steal of the offseason, has played like a top-5 center and has been the Pels’ best player so far this season.

Herb Jones has probably been the biggest surprise of the season, as he has been a top-10 rookie so far and is playing defense like he belongs on the All Defense team.

Devonte’ Graham is doing everything we thought he would, averaging 15 points and 4.9 assists, and has shot the ball better of late. Although Lonzo Ball is playing well for the Bulls, who are actually good, I’ll still take Graham at half the price.

Josh Hart is having the best season of his career, it’s just too bad it’s being wasted at the moment. He’s been more efficient scoring the ball while still playing scrappy defense and rebounding. I love Josh Hart and if the Pels were at full strength, he’d be in the conversation for 6th man of the year right now.

Coach Willie Green may be the best part of this season, as he has his team playing hard even though they are shorthanded. The wins have not been there but there are signs that the culture is changing, which is what he was brought in to do.