The New Orleans Pelicans took a huge step backwards last season. After winning 45 games in 2014-15, the Pels won just 30 games in 2015-16. A major part of the Pelicans’ decline was due to injuries. New Orleans will look to get back on track in 2016-17, and I can’t wait to see if they can do it. They enter the season with a pretty different roster (lost Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, and Luke Babbitt, signed Solomon Hill and E’Twaun Moore, drafted Buddy Hield and Cheick Diallo).
The Pelicans did retain key pieces of their roster, though. When healthy, this is a playoff team. Anthony Davis is one of the best players in basketball, Jrue Holiday is a former All-Star, and Tyreke Evans oozes talent but hasn’t found a way to become a star.
Buddy Hield was the stud of this year’s NCAA season, but struggled with his shot in Summer League. Cheick Diallo is a good prospect, but raw. There’s a lot of intrigue surrounding the Pelicans this season, and I’m excited to see if they can put the pieces together and make some noise.
