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NBA Season Preview 2018-19: Every team’s biggest question

By Ben Ladner

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 16: Markelle Fultz #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the game against the Miami Heat in Game Two of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 16, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 16: Markelle Fultz #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the game against the Miami Heat in Game Two of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 16, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LA – MARCH 20: Solomon Hill #44 of the New Orleans Pelicans walks onto the court during the first half of a NBA game against the Dallas Mavericks at the Smoothie King Center on March 20, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – MARCH 20: Solomon Hill #44 of the New Orleans Pelicans walks onto the court during the first half of a NBA game against the Dallas Mavericks at the Smoothie King Center on March 20, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

New Orleans Pelicans: Is there enough wing depth?

The loss of DeMarcus Cousins should result in more minutes with Anthony Davis at center and a spread floor around him. That formula vexed the Trail Blazers in the playoffs last April, as Jrue Holiday was too much for Portland’s guards and Jusuf Nurkić couldn’t keep up with Davis inside or out. After Cousins went down with a torn Achilles, Alvin Gentry leaned on the combination of Davis, Holiday and Nikola Mirotić, which outscored teams by nearly 10 points per 100 possessions. Randle should serve as a nice complement to that mix, but the remaining pieces of New Orleans’ core lineups are unsolidified.

The Pelicans were emaciated on the wing last season; Solomon Hill’s hamstring injury prior to last season slashed the team’s depth at the position almost in half. Were it not for the surprising emergence of Darius Miller, New Orleans likely would have constantly been recycling from the free agency scrap heap. Gentry almost never had the option of going small around Davis. The front office addressed that problem this offseason, but only insofar as it added players who fit the necessary physical profile. A rejuvenated Hill should help shore up the position, but New Orleans still has startlingly few proven NBA wings.

Davis and Holiday are good enough to carry this roster to the brink of – and perhaps into – the playoffs, but if the Pelicans get to the postseason, they’ll need players that can credibly defend on the perimeter and space the floor in order to fully unleash their two best players. Holiday will likely play more as a traditional point guard with Rajon Rondo out of frame, thus creating an even greater need for serviceable wings and capable playmakers. Miller and Hill should again play vital roles, but the Pelicans may still need someone else to stick.

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