The New Orleans Pelicans hope to compete for a title next season and yesterday we got a look at where it will all begin.
The Pelicans will go into next season with a similar roster to the one that made the playoffs last season with the key additions of Zion Williamson and rookie Dyson Daniels.
They’ll also have full seasons of CJ McCollum and Larry Nance Jr., and with a hungry group of young players competing for minutes, the Pels should have a deep and talented group to go to war with next season.
That season got one step closer yesterday when the Pelicans released their preseason schedule, which will have them face a familiar opponent straight away.
New Orleans Pelicans preseason schedule
The New Orleans Pelicans will kick things off on the road against the Chicago Bulls and Lonzo Ball, a guy who was once thought to be part of the core in New Orleans.
That didn’t work out, and Ball was traded to the Bulls where he had a promising start to the season before once again going down with injury.
Like Zion, Lonzo will be trying to come back even stronger next season and to prove he can stay healthy for a full season, which has been a problem for both of them.
October is going to be a big month for the Pelicans when it comes to team options, but will also be when they kick off their season in Chicago on October 4th. Here is the full preseason schedule:
- October 4th @ Chicago 7:00 PM CT
- October 7th vs. Detroit 7:00 PM CT
- October 9th @ San Antonio 6:00 PM CT
- October 12th @ Miami 6:30 PM CT
- October 14 @ Atlanta 7:00 PM CT
As you can see, four out of the five games are on the road, which seems an odd way for a team to have to start the season.
It will be interesting to see how the Pelicans treat Zion Williamson during the preseason with all of this traveling and whether he will actually suit up for all of the games.
It seems like it’s already been 100 years since the New Orleans Pelicans last played basketball, so fans are eager for October to roll around to finally see this team in action at full strength.