Pelicans may have stumbled into found money in this rotation area

Contrary to their current standing, the New Orleans Pelicans actually came into the 2024-25 NBA season with high hopes. They were getting a revitalized Zion Williamson coming off of the healthiest campaign of his career, had traded for All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray, and had a major trade chip in their back pocket in the form of Brandon Ingram's expiring contract. Fast forward three weeks later and the Pelicans have been decimated by injuries and are sitting at the basement of the Western Conference at 4-14.

No one could have predicted that the Pelicans would be in this position nearly a quarter of the way through the season, nor could they have foreseen all of the devastating injuries that led them to this point. New Orleans has had such a hard time that there's been little discussion surrounding the roster holes that they came into the year with. After all, it's hard to poke holes into their performance when they've had to play games without seven of their highest-paid players.

Now, the Pelicans are starting to get healthy, with CJ McCollum, Jordan Hawkins, and Dejounte Murray back in the lineup and Herb Jones on the horizon. New Orleans will have no time to waste if they still mean to make the playoffs though and still have those roster holes they brought into the season to contend with. Thankfully, this injury-riddled stretch has given the answer for one of their most glaring issues.

Pelicans may have stumbled into an elite bench in this horrid start to the season

Coming into the year, there were two main concerns surrounding the Pelicans roster: their suspect center rotation and their lack of established depth. New Orleans had the potential to field an okay bench, with one of Herb Jones or Trey Murphy III leading the way alongside Jose Alvarado.

Still, that only gave the Pelicans seven solid players. Jordan Hawkins, Javonte Green, and Yves Missi were all question marks. Hawkins had some promising standout moments in his rookie year but really struggled with his efficiency, consistency, and defense. Javonte Green hadn't played meaningful basketball since the 2022-23 season. Yves Missi is a 20-year-old rookie who was drafted late in the first round.

In this injury-riddled start to the season, though, those players were given a lot more responsibility and opportunity than expected. Hawkins has shined with the uptick in his usage. He's become one of the most reliable shooters on the roster and has expanded upon his offensive game, proving capable of creating good looks for himself off of the dribble, particularly by getting into his spots in the midrange.

Yves Missi has been hands down one of the most impressive rookies so far, using his elite athleticism to be a viable rim protector and vertical threat on lobs and dump-offs. He's also looked a lot more polished than pundits were expecting. Javonte Green hasn't been excellent by any means, but he looks healthy and has provided the tough-nosed, versatile defense that the Pelicans needed after Naji Marshall left in free agency.

Due to all of their absences, the Pelicans have also uncovered a few gems in Brandon Boston Jr. and Elfrid Payton. Boston Jr. has established himself as a legitimate three-level scorer in his opportunities, capable of catching fire at any moment and creating for others as a secondary playmaker. Elfrid Payton made his return to the Pelicans the other day and dropped a career-high 21 assists, giving New Orleans another true point guard, something they haven't had since Dejounte Murray went down.

Now, at full strength, the Pelicans won't just have an acceptable bench, they could have one of the most dangerous reserve units in the entire NBA. New Orleans could run out a five-man group consisting of Elfrid Payton or Jose Alvarado, Brandon Boston Jr., Javonte Green, Trey Murphy III, and Yves Missi or Daniel Theis. They'll need their bench to perform well to make up for all of the ground they've lost in this early season.