The New Orleans Pelicans have been the unluckiest team in the NBA in 2024-25. Just 27 games into the season, eight different Pelicans have missed at least nine games, including Zion Williamson appearing in just six and key offseason acquisition Dejounte Murray missing 17.
For as unfortunate as this unforeseen turn of events has been, there's a silver lining emerging in the form of an unexpected emergence.
Few have been safe from the injury bug in New Orleans during the 2024-25 regular season. The list of players who have missed at least nine games includes Jose Alvarado, Jordan Hawkins, Brandon Ingram, Herbert Jones, CJ McCollum, and Trey Murphy III.
The inevitable result has been New Orleans struggling to string together wins, with a 5-22 record setting the pace for lottery odds that give it a legitimate shot at the No. 1 pick.
For as intriguing as the opportunity to add Cooper Flagg may be, it's understandable for Pelicans fans to be disappointed by the way the 2024-25 season has transpired. The team has enough talent to compete at the highest level, and injuries have prevented New Orleans from gaining insight into whether or not it should re-sign Ingram this coming summer.
Thankfully, a silver lining has emerged from behind the cloud hanging over the Pelicans' season: The emergence of 23-year-old wing Brandon Boston.
Brandon Boston giving Pelicans a rare reason for optimism
Boston is currently averaging 12.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 three-point field goals made on .438/.340/.827 shooting in 27.7 minutes per game. He's appeared in 24 of the team's 27 games, thus providing a sadly uncommon form of consistency in the rotation.
Boston has raised his game since returning to the second unit on Nov. 29, averaging 13.5 points per contest on a slash line of .465/.382/.833.
New Orleans could never been confused with a team that's short on perimeter talent, but injuries have all but completely depleted its depth. Thankfully, even with Jones, McCollum, Murray, and Murphy back in the starting lineup, Boston has managed to produce at a high level.
That includes New Orleans' most recent outing, during which he scored a team-high 20 points in just under 31 minutes of play.
Beyond the individual numbers, Boston has been one of the most valuable players on the roster. Thus far in 2024-25, the Pelicans are 8.1 points per 100 possessions better when he's on the court than when he isn't—posting a team-worst net rating of negative-15.5 when he's off the floor.
It's perhaps the most significant element of what makes Boston a player worth investing in beyond the 2024-25 season: He's more than personal statistics.
Boston has a scorer's mentality, but he's competing on both ends of the floor and embracing whatever role he's given. He's stepped up to provide offensive value as a starter, continued to play with confidence as a reserve, and has been more than willing to play off of the more established players now that they're back in the lineup.
The Pelicans haven't given fans much to cheer about in 2024-25, but Boston is a shining example of how silver linings can be found during even the most trying of times.