The cavalry will not make it in time to save the New Orleans Pelicans
By Andy Quach
The New Orleans Pelicans are in a bad place. After suffering their latest loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Pelicans have dropped to 4-16 on the season, have officially gone 1-3 in the NBA Cup group stage, and are a full game behind the Utah Jazz for the 14th seed in the Western Conference.
It's not as if this record is an indictment of the roster's construction, though. New Orleans has dealt with more key injuries than any other franchise in the NBA this season, at one point missing seven of their highest-paid players at the same time. Crucial rotation members and stars like Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy III, and Herb Jones have all missed huge chunks of the campaign and some remain out.
The good news is that the injury report is starting to lighten for the Pelicans. TMIII made his return to the floor a bit ago and was joined by Murray and McCollum recently. Unfortunately, even if New Orleans can get their squad back to full strength soon, it may already be too late.
The Pelicans can't afford any mistakes moving forward
It might seem like it'd be best to get any injuries out of the way early, so long as the team can stay healthy for the remainder of the season. Even if that is the case, these absences may have happened at the worst time possible, and it's not just because of their strength of schedule as I've highlighted in the past.
CJ McCollum came back from a strained adductor against the Indiana Pacers three games ago and has picked up right where he left off, averaging 24 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on 46 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent from beyond the arc since his return. That's been an anomaly for New Orleans, though.
Trey Murphy III has missed 13 games this season, including the first 10 games of the year, and he's clearly not playing up to his standard. The Pelicans needed him to be a star upon his return, as most of their top scorers were still sidelined when he came back. While his points are currently at a career-high with 18.7 a night, he's also hitting a career-low 30 percent from three which is eight points lower than his worst mark in any other season. His 41 percent from the field is also his worst output since his rookie year.
Dejounte Murray has also struggled with his touch since coming back from a fractured left hand. In two games now, he's put up good numbers with 17.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists on 42 percent from deep on six attempts per outing, but he's hitting just 32 percent from his shots overall.
Clearly, both Murphy and Murray need to find a rhythm, a common occurrence for players just starting their seasons. Unfortunately, the Pelicans are already at the basement of the West over a quarter of the way into their 2024-25 NBA campaign. Who knows how much rust Zion and Brandon Ingram will have to shake off once they return to play?
What we do know is that New Orleans can't afford to give their players any time to ramp up. Last season, the Boston Celtics won a league-leading 78 percent of their games. Even if the Pelicans hit that lofty mark for the remainder of the year, they'd finish at 52-30. In 2023-24, New Orleans won 60 percent of their games. If they return to that pace for the rest of this season, they'll wind up with 41 wins. The San Antonio Spurs, the current owner of the 10th seed and final Play-In spot in the West, would only have to win 49 percent of their wins to hit 41 dubs. The Pelicans can't afford anymore mistakes, and, even if they play to their fullest potential, it may already be too late.