New Orleans Pelicans 2015 NBA Season Preview
5th place. Southwest Division. New Orleans Pelicans. 5th. player. 69. <ul> <li>45-37 record</li> <li>8<sup>th</sup> seed in Western Conference</li> <li>Eliminated in first round by Golden State Warriors</li> </ul>
If you’re excited about the New Orleans Pelicans heading into the 2015-16 NBA season, just know that you are far from being alone in that regard.
The Pelicans are coming off of a 2014-15 season where they shocked everyone by usurping a number of quality Western Conference teams to sneak into the eighth seed. They then went on to play the eventual NBA Champion Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs and, though they were ultimately dispatched from the postseason quickly, put up a valiant fight in this group’s first taste of playoff basketball.
It’s no surprise that the success of last season and the high hopes heading into the 2015-16 season all revolve around Anthony Davis. In just his third NBA season, the 22-year-old big man was absolutely phenomenal. In 68 games in the regular season, Davis averaged 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.9 blocks and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 53.5 percent from the floor (per NBA.com).
What was even more impressive than his gaudy regular season numbers was how prolific he was in his brief first run in the postseason, especially up against the eventual title winners in the Warriors. The Pelicans star averaged 31.5 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, three blocks and 1.3 steals per game on 54 percent shooting in his first four postseason games of his career.
More than that, all of the talk around Davis this offseason is that he’s getting even better. He’s shown in the preseason that he’s extended the range on his jump shot out beyond the arc and that he has more moves in his offensive arsenal. As he adds more skills and continues to gain more NBA experience, he’s only going to be more dominant.
As great as Davis has been and will almost surely be this season, there are two bigger factors for the Pelicans in the 2015-16 season.
First, firing Monty Williams and subsequently hiring Alvin Gentry has people clamoring about what this team could accomplish. Gentry is a brilliant offensive mind that was actually a big part of the Warriors’ title run last season. The institution of his system in New Orleans could transform them into something incredibly dangerous, if the team is healthy.
The health of the Pelicans is the other major factor in the upcoming season. This is a team that has had brutal luck regarding injuries over the past few seasons and they aren’t off to a stellar start in that regard in the 2015 preseason. For Gentry’s system to matter, guys like Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, Ryan Anderson, and of course Davis have to stay healthy.
All of that being said, the Pelicans are one of the most intriguing teams in the NBA coming into the 2015-16 season. Here’s everything you need to know about the Pelicans heading into this year.
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