2 Silver linings for the Pelicans amid their horrid start to the season

The only kind of person that's more insufferable than a nihilistic Debbie Downer is a bleeding-heart, always sunny optimist. There's nothing more enraging when one's having a bad day than to be told to look on the bright side. This also applies to the NBA.

The New Orleans Pelicans are undeniably having a season from hell. Nearly a quarter of the way through the league year, they've been buried at the bottom of the Western Conference, sitting in the 15th seed at 4-14. They've gotten here because the injury bug has absolutely annihilated their rotation, with practically their entire core suffering major injuries. Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, Jordan Hawkins, and Jose Alvarado have all missed multiple games and some will remain sidelined for a while.

With such an abysmal stretch to begin the year, it's hard to believe that there's anything positive to take away from the Pelicans. Considering the sheer amount of injuries they've had to endure, even their film can't really be used nor can they truly address any shortcomings they've had on the court, as it's impossible to determine whether they're issues of performance or personnel. Believe it or not, though, there are a couple of silver linings from the Pelicans' dismal start to the 2024-25 NBA season.

There are positive takeaways from the Pelicans start to the 2024-25 NBA season

1. Unexpected players capitalizing on their opportunities

Due to their litany of injuries, the Pelicans have had to scramble to fill their roster with able bodies. Through that process, they've been able to uncover some hidden gems, including some players that could legitimately contribute for them even when everyone's back and healthy.

Brandon Boston Jr. is the obvious one here. He was signed off of the waiver wire after the Pelicans' first wave of absences and quickly earned a starting role with his play. He's established himself as a legitimate three-level scorer and secondary playmaker in this league. At 6'5 with a functional handle, a feathery shooting touch, and a penchant for creating his own shot, Boston Jr. is the exact type of wing that every team in the NBA could use, and the Pelicans should have a role for him regardless of who's on the injury report.

He's not the only one who's taken advantage of a unique opportunity in New Orleans though. Yves Missi came into this season with a ton of pressure placed upon his young shoulders, tasked with the responsibility of anchoring a center rotation for a playoff team as a 20-year-old rookie. With all of the injuries, that burden was mostly lifted off of him and he was able to play without great expectations. There's no telling if he would have thrived regardless of the situation, but it's clear that he has been able to play objectively well in this particular instance.

The Pelicans traded back into the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft in order to select Antonio Reeves out of the University of Kentucky. They were able to get a 34-point game out of him, partially vindicating their decision and giving them another exciting prospect to nurture. Elfrid Payton made his return to the NBA and with the Pelicans because of New Orleans's injury situation. In their loss to the Indiana Pacers, he tallied a career-high 21 assists, pushing the pace and consistently generating good looks for the Pelicans' shooters and slashers.

2. The Pelicans may have stumbled into an all-important gap year

The Pelicans weren't a lock to make the playoffs this season, even if they were fully healthy throughout the campaign. They had legitimate hopes of becoming a dark-horse title contender, but this stacked Western Conference offered no assurance for any team outside of the utmost tier of championship threats. Still, there was a better chance that New Orleans found themselves in the Finals than at the top of the draft lottery had they had their stars available for the majority of the season.

Well, a quarter of the way through, they have not had their stars available for the majority of the season. Now, the Pelicans do find themselves in a position to lobby for a top-five pick in this upcoming draft. This is expected to be a loaded class with several potential franchise cornerstones at the top of the draft like Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, and Dylan Harper.

New Orleans came into this season with a lot of talent and high expectations, but the reality was that this team was going to be in a sticky situation no matter what happened this year, unless they won it all of course. The Pelicans have an expensive and unsustainable roster with plenty of flaws and overlapping skills. It would have been difficult for them to find the best way to navigate this team into its next iteration while remaining competitive and doing right by their stars.

This injury-riddled campaign may have given them the perfect solution to all of their problems. The Pelicans can now dump their expensive veterans without having to worry about keeping a competitive team intact for the rest of the season and moving forward. They also might wind up with a top draft pick that could help them replenish their talent without breaking the bank or sacrificing their depth. Adding a rookie like Cooper Flagg or any of the other top prospects will put the Pelicans in a position to return to the playoffs soon with a retool around a promising young core. This never would have been the case without this heartbreaking start to the season they've had so far.