Pelicans: A look back at odds and awards predictions after 20 games
The New Orleans Pelicans have had a great start to the season, with a 12-8 record after 20 games that is good for the 3rd seed in the competitive Western Conference.
The Pels have done it in a variety of ways, as they have had five different players lead them in scoring, and they’ve done it in the paint as well as from the 3-point line.
And this is all without having their full roster, as Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram have both missed time, as have CJ McCollum and Herbert Jones.
I think New Orleans should be ecstatic about their start given their injury problems and it is scary to think about how good this team can be if they ever get everyone healthy at the same time.
The Pels have only played 10 games with their full starting lineup, but are still putting up numbers and piling up wins with different guys stepping up every night.
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Before the season, we took a look at the odds for individual awards and made some predictions about which Pelicans were the best bets.
So how is that looking after 20 games? A lot has changed.
New Orleans Pelicans: Odds for NBA season awards
*All odds come from Fanduel, refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram for MVP
Start of the season: Zion +2500, Ingram +1300
After 20 games: Zion +12000, Ingram +49000
Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram were long shots for MVP before the season started and are even more so now after injuries have slowed their starts.
Both guys are averaging over 20 per game, and the Pelicans are winning, so those odds seem a bit ridiculous, especially for Zion, who has yet to really get going and could end up near the league leaders in scoring by the end of the season.
Right now Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum and Stephen Curry are the MVP favorites.
One thing that has hurt Zion and BI’s chances is New Orleans really spreads it around, with six players averaging double digits and Larry Nance Jr. not far off at 9.4 points per game.
Neither Zion nor BI even lead the team in shot attempts, as CJ McCollum is currently taking more than two more shots per game than either of them.
This will likely change as the season progresses, so if you think Zion is going to blow up at some point, now is the time to bet, as you will get +12000 odds.