 With four games left in the New Orleans Pelicans' season and the team eliminated from playoff contention, many fans have suggested the team prioritize playing its young guys down the stretch. With no control over their first-round pick in this upcoming draft, the development of this season's rookie class couldn't be more important.
Although in Friday's loss to the Sacramento Kings, interim head coach James Borrego didn't roll out a starting lineup that featured either Jeremiah Fears or Derik Queen, it appears a shift is coming. Herb Jones got into early foul trouble and played under 15 minutes, while Yves Missi logged just 20. Zion Williamson and Saddiq Bey were both held under 30 minutes. Borrego opted to lean on both Queen and Fears, and surprisingly, Micah Peavy got a ton of burn too.
Peavy playing a season-high number of minutes is the clearest sign that a shift towards youth is coming. Unlike Fears and Queen, Peavy hasn't been a big part of the Pelicans' second unit for some time now. But on Friday, Borrego opted to give him the Herb Jones minutes, and we saw a ton of growth.
Development over results in the final stretch
Although leaning on the young guys led to a 17-point lead blown and a 117-113 loss at this point in the season, results don't mean anything to the Pelicans. What means something to this franchise is seeing Fears end his rookie season strong, going off for 28 points, eight rebounds, and six dimes while also hitting five threes. Continuing to build good habits, develop consistency, and gain confidence are all things that need to be a focus, and seeing Fears play 37 minutes against the Kings suggests that it is coming.
At this point, it's unclear what the Pelicans plan to do this summer. Will they run things back and give this core another chance? Or will the front office finally end the Zion Williamson era and shift the focus to Fears and Queen? No one really has a clue what's coming this summer, but that shouldn't change the plan for the final four games of this season.
Regardless of the direction chosen by Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver, giving young talent reps in these final four games will benefit either path. These reps for the young talent can help the Pelicans have one of the strongest second units in the league next season, or it can accelerate the rebuild. No matter the path, giving the teams' youth a ton of reps down the stretch should remain a major focus.