Pelicans need to find an answer for this unexpected position

The New Orleans Pelicans have been extremely active this offseason. They made a massive roster move in trading Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., E.J. Liddell, Cody Zeller, and two future first-round picks to the Atlanta Hawks in return for All-Star combo guard Dejounte Murray.

Outside of the DJM acquisition, they've also made smaller additions on the margins, like signing Daniel Theis and Karlo Matkovic to shore up their center rotation. Recently, they handed out three Exhibit 10 contracts to round out their training camp roster, which will give them an extended look at Izaiah Brockington, Keion Brooks Jr., and Jalen Crutcher.

The Pelicans have also been busy cleaning things up in the back of the house. They've added several talents to their coaching staff, including former NBA veterans Jodie Meeks and Greg Monroe. Former WNBA star Swin Cash was promoted to Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations. Jose Alvarado was given a two-year extension on a bargain deal.

Even though New Orleans has gotten extremely busy this offseason, there's still plenty of work for Vice President David Griffin and the rest of the Pelicans brass. There are still some glaring holes in the roster that could keep this team from reaching its full potential. We've already addressed the need for more shooting and a reliable answer at center, but there's another issue that needs attention: lack of insurance for Zion Williamson.

The Pelicans need to identify a reliable understudy for Zion Williamson

There are a couple of reasons why this problem hasn't been widely discussed despite the loss of Naji Marshall, who was the Pelicans' primary recipient of extra opportunities anytime Zion had to miss time. Firstly, New Orleans has more than enough offensive firepower to survive even with Zion sidelined, especially in the regular season and especially now that they've also added Dejounte Murray alongside CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram.

Secondly, Zion just came off the healthiest season of his career with 70 games played last year. He spent this summer perfecting his body and cutting down to a playing weight that should relieve the strain that he's been putting on his legs. The Pelicans will be hoping that his new fitness regimen sticks, and it keeps him durable moving forward.

Even with those two things in mind, it's still imperative that the Pelicans have a plan in place in case Zion does have to miss extended time. The easy answer would be to simply elevate Trey Murphy III or Herb Jones's responsibilities to fill the missing minutes. The offensive production can be dispersed evenly between CJ, DJM, and BI in that case, and everything else becomes business as usual.

Except, with this current roster construction, their bench will be severely hurting. As it stands now, the Pelicans reserves will be built around some combination of Jose Alvarado, TMIII, Herb Jones, Jordan Hawkins, and their ragtag committee of big men. Rookie second-round pick Antonio Reeves could get a little play as well if he can supply New Orleans with some of the shooting it desperately needs.

Unfortunately, there's not much offensive creation on the Pelicans bench. Their wing depth is also shallower than initially expected, even though they have a trio of strong options in BI, TMIII, and Jones. If Zion were to get hurt and New Orleans were to encounter any additional injury trouble, though, their options would dry up swiftly.

It may not be the biggest need on the roster, but the Pelicans should look into finding a Naji Marshall replacement this season, as extra insurance in case Zion or any of the other prominent members of the rotation go down.