New Orleans Pelicans Fans Will Love This NBA Insider’s Exciting Prediction

Since Willie Green has taken over as head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans, the team has steadily improved.

Their regular season win total has gone up every season, reaching 49 victories during the 2023-24 campaign. However, that success has not translated to the postseason.

Part of that is because of difficult matchups. The team has had to navigate their way through the NBA Play-In Tournament, advancing to the playoffs in two out of three years.

Alas, they were first-round fodder both times, losing to the Phoenix Suns in 2022 and the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2024. 

Things could have certainly gone differently had their star Zion Williamson been in the lineup. In both instances he was sidelined by an injury, something that will need to change if they are to reach their ceiling.

What can we expect to see from the Pelicans this upcoming season? John Hollinger of The Athletic shared his predictions for how things will unfold.

The former NBA front office personnel member likes what he sees from New Orleans. While he is predicting them to win two fewer games, going 47-35, he does believe that will be enough for them to avoid the Play-In Tournament and snag the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference.

“So how do I project a team that is one of the most likely to make some kind of trade either before or during the season? I gave them a slight nudge from my projections given their greater ability to make moves in-season, perhaps even large ones. (The Pels have all of their own future picks.) But even if they trot out Theis and Matković as their center rotation, New Orleans is strong enough at the other positions to win plenty of games … as long as the Ingram-Williamson injury voodoo doll doesn’t get another needle jab,” Hollinger wrote.

A lot of attention the last few months has been on the future of Brandon Ingram and the lack of options at the center spot. Both are valid concerns, but the Pelicans may be talented enough to overcome that.

This roster is loaded with high-upside players, including Ingram, Williamson, Trey Murphy, Herbert Jones, CJ McCollum and the newly acquired Dejounte Murray.

Off the bench, Jose Alvarado has proven a steady presence and Javonte Green fits the mold of a versatile wing that Green loves coming off his bench. If any of their current players emerge at center, or a trade is made, their arrow will point up even more.