The one thing the New Orleans Pelicans need for Xmas

Santa Clause looks on prior to the game between the Orlando Magic and the New Orleans Pelicans (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Santa Clause looks on prior to the game between the Orlando Magic and the New Orleans Pelicans (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

The New Orleans Pelicans are making some noise for the holidays, pulling within 1.5 games of the play-in in the Western Conference.

They are doing it without Zion Williamson, leaning on the brilliance of Brandon Ingram, the bruising interior play of Jonas Valanciunas and the all-around play of Josh Hart, who is having the best season of his career.

But with the holiday season upon us, it is a good time to think about what the Pelicans need heading into the new year.

Other than a healthy Zion Williamson (which truly would be an Xmas miracle) the New Orleans Pelicans should only be looking for one thing in their stocking this year.

The New Orleans Pelicans need one bench guy

I don’t think the New Orleans Pelicans should try for a big splashy move at the trade deadline, as this team is gelling, forming the type of culture David Griffin has long talked about.

It looks like they are having fun playing together, are picking each other up on the court and rallying around team play.

It has been a joy to watch lately and I wouldn’t want to mess up that MoJo by injecting a piece that might not fit.

But the Pels definitely need a bench upgrade, as they really only have four guys who play any minutes off the bench and two of them stink.

Garrett Temple and Tomas Satoransky are hurting the New Orleans Pelicans just about every night and if they could replace one of them, it would go a long way to cleaning up their issues.

There are a lot of names floating around for potential trades, but the Pelicans should be looking for someone who can provide some consistent shooting and scoring off the bench.

Whether that player is a significant upgrade (someone like Buddy Hield) or a minor move to add depth, the Pelicans have to do something about their bench if they are truly going to be competitive for the playoffs in the West.

Pels’ fans have stuck with this team through their struggles and deserve to see a winner, so David Griffin better be on the phone this holiday trying get some help.

Happy holidays everyone and thanks for reading, we really appreciate it. LET’S GEAUX!!!!