4 Pelicans who could get axed from Willie Green's postseason rotation

The 2023-24 New Orleans Pelicans are firmly entrenched in the playoff race, as they currently sit fifth in the Western Conference and could climb as high as the fourth seed, as they're just one game back from the LA Clippers. Granted, they're only a game ahead of the sixth-seeded Dallas Mavericks, so they could always drop, since there are 10 remaining games left on the Pels' schedule.

The Pelicans have gone 9-3 in March and were trending in the right direction, until losing Brandon Ingram to an unfortunate injury. BI is expected to be back within two to three weeks from when the injury occurred, setting the stage for a return in the postseason.

With the playoffs around the corner, several Pelicans players could find themselves out of Willie Green's rotation. Let's take a look at which players could run into this issue.

4 Pels who could be victims of a shorter postseason lineup

4. Jordan Hawkins

This season, Jordan Hawkins has faced the same fate as essentially any rookie selected outside of the top-ten. It's hard to get legitimate playing time.

Hawkins has been a good outside shooter (36.8 percent from deep) but his presence on the floor forces the Pelicans to have another legitimate ballhandler in the lineup. Hawkins has landed 18.1 minutes per night, as Pels coach Willie Green has shown a preference for Dyson Daniels over him.

In general, coaches tend to shorten the rotation in the postseason, as they emphasize vets who have been a part of playoff runs, while seldomly turning to rookies and/or prospect-level players. Any postseason run by the Pels will likely come without Hawkins getting considerable playing time, outside of garbage time minutes. 

Hawkins' biggest attribute is his shooting, and the Pels are already a good shooting team, as their 38 percent clip from long-range ranks sixth-best in the league, in spite of him playing nominal minutes.