Pelicans projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season
The New Orleans Pelicans were supposed to take the next step last season. Instead, it ended with a deflating play-in loss to the comically young Thunder. With another Zion Williamson season lost to injury, there seem to be more questions than answers about the Pelicans' future right now.
And yet... on paper, this Pelicans team is a contender. Have we forgotten how good a healthy Zion Williamson is? Brandon Ingram is an All-Star. CJ McCollum is better than your average third wheel. The depth? Virtually unmatched. NOLA is stacked with young talent and a treasure trove of future draft picks — more than enough to swing a blockbuster trade, if the circumstances are right.
New Orleans probably won't get in the Damian Lillard mix. James Harden? Yeah, no, probably not. But David Griffin is battling a ticking clock in the front office. Another dud season with Zion on the roster could lead to a permanent end to that relationship. Another dud season, and maybe Griffin starts to feel a bit of warmth on the bottom of his seat.
Willie Green had the Pelicans in the playoffs in 2021. The blueprint has already been laid out. If Williamson can stay healthy, it's difficult to imagine the Pelicans not stacking a fair amount of wins. Even if Zion can't stay healthy, however, the Pelicans' depth should be enough to steer them toward a better outcome than last season.
Here's what Green is working with rotationally. It's an impressive bunch, with several potential breakout candidates. Here's to hoping it can all, finally, come together in 2023-24.
New Orleans Pelicans starting point guard: CJ McCollum
CJ McCollum is probably underrated at this point. Sure, he has aged out of the stardom he once achieved in Portland, but McCollum remains a potent scorer and even-keeled playmaker who is perfectly suited to New Orleans' unique offensive personnel. He's the point guard, but McCollum spends plenty of time stretching the defense with his off-ball movement and deadly spot-up jumper.
The Pelicans will run a lot of actions through Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, allowing McCollum to avoid overly burdensome responsibilities as he enters the next stage of his career. When asked to handle the rock and create for others, McCollum still has juice. He's naturally inclined toward the mid-range pull-up and he's a smooth operator out of pick-and-rolls. McCollum averaged 5.7 assists (and only 2.4 turnovers) last season.
His 20.9 points on .437/.389/.769 splits will get the job done. McCollum's versatile skill set allows him to thrive with various personnel groups. The defensive limitations are becoming more prominent, but he's the only negative-defense small guard getting minutes. The Pelicans have length at every position and can comfortably mask McCollum's presence in stressing matchups.
McCollum has roughly three years and $100 million left on his contract. That's a big chunk of change — maybe too much — but the Pelicans are committed and hey, McCollum will help them win a lot of games over the next three years if the team around him holds up.
Primary backup point guard: Jose Alvarado
Jose Alvarado has become a beloved fan favorite not only in New Orleans but all over the country. The dude scraps. He's every bit of 6-foot-nothing and 179 pounds. He wages war at the point of attack on every possession, getting in his stance and wedging his slender frame up under the opposing ball-handler. Alvarado averaged 1.1 steals in 21.5 minutes last season.
The offensive numbers are less impressive. Alvarado only hit 33.6 percent of his 3-point attempts and he's not much of a pull-up threat. He's a below-the-rim finisher too, with middling efficiency around the paint. But it generally doesn't matter. He possesses such a gift for chaos on the defensive end that it's impossible for New Orleans to keep him out of the lineup. He impacts winning by sheer force of will.
Other players who could receive minutes at point guard: Kira Lewis Jr., Dyson Daniels