2024-25 NBA Season Preview: New Orleans Pelicans

2024-25 NBA Season Preview: New Orleans Pelicans

We are less than one week away from the start of the 2024-25 NBA Season! To continue our preseason preview series, we will be diving into the New Orleans Pelicans, who suffered another early postseason exit last season! Let’s not waste any more time and jump into it!

What happened last year?

For the first time, we were able to get a glimpse of what a healthy Pelicans team looked like last season with CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson staying relatively healthy last season. Though injuries bit them at the wrong time, as Ingram missed 12 of the team’s 13 regular season games with a knee injury and didn’t look effective in the play-in or postseason; Williamson, meanwhile, injured his hamstring with three minutes left at the end of the team’s play-in game against Los Angeles after scoring 40 points and missed the rest of the postseason. As a result, New Orleans, who finished in the top-6 in adjusted defense and NET Rating, got swept in the first round by the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Offseason Recap:

The Pelicans had a quality offseason–aside from letting Jonas Valanciunas walk for nothing. They acquired Dejounte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., Cody Zeller and two future first-round picks, including a 2025 first-round pick (Lakers) that could be valuable, depending on how their season pans out. General manager David Griffin made it known that he’s going to let the Ingram situation play itself out, given the 27-year-old wing wants the max and is entering the last year of his five-year, $158 million deal. It’s a cloud that’ll hover them all season. New Orleans also drafted Yves Missi at the back end of the first-round, who I am a fan of, even if he’s 2-3 years away from making a true impact. 

Projected Starting 5:

Dejounte Murray, G – Murray gives New Orleans the point it has been seeking for the last several years. His fit alongside Trae Young wasn’t very clean, and I’m not so sure this one will be, either. But Murray is coming off a season where he posted 22.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.4 steals–a good baseline level of production.

CJ McCollum, G – McCollum was one of the team’s primary ballhandlers last season, finishing third on the team in usage and assist percentage. He’s going to be relegated to a more off-ball role with Murray, which could play more to his strengths.

Brandon Ingram, F – Ingram, entering the last year of his current deal was, at the center of trade rumors this offseason. 

Zion Williamson, F – Williamson played a career-most 70 games last year after appearing in 114 combined games over his first four seasons. The Pelicans play like a near-50-win team when he plays, but that’s his biggest issue. Few can impact a game more when he’s right, so I’m interested to see if his body will hold up again in 2024-25.

Herb Jones, F – The Jones-Williamson frontcourt did quite well last year, finishing with a plus-11.5 NET Rating together, according to Cleaning The Glass. But why not bring back Valanciunas for cheap when they’re going to be looking for a center come February, anyway?

Report: Pelicans plan on starting Herb Jones at center

Notable Reserves:

Trey Murphy, F – Murphy dealt with another offseason injury, but he’s an impactful 3-and-D wing who will be a key cog off the bench this season.

Daniel Theis, C – Theis had played 107 games for four different organizations in the last two years. He’s an undersized big who’s entering his age-32 season, but he may be more important than one might imagine because of New Orleans’ lack of frontcourt depth.

Yves Missi, C – Missi, who the team drafted No. 21 in the 2024 draft, is a very raw, yet athletic big. He’s a developmental project, but is very springy with great foot speed and should be utilized as a rim-running vertical spacer when he’s on the floor.

Jose Alvarado, G – Joseeeee!

Biggest X-Factor: Health, Malleability

I feel like I have written “health” for too many teams, even if it’s appropriate. I have a different X-Factor for New Orleans, however: How well do these players fit together? Health aside, Murray, McCollum, Ingram and Williamson all need the ball to be effective offensively, to some extent. I’m not worried about the defense all that much. Though there’s not a great track record of teams that jell together well with at least 3-4 players who need the ball. If they can sort that out–which history says it’s unlikely–then New Orleans can be a threat to go deep in the West. That’s a big if, though.

Season Projection:

I have the Pelicans finishing as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference with another early exit.

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