The New Orleans Pelicans will enter next season much improved after a solid offseason, particularly with the return of all-star Zion Williamson. Williamson is set to join a team that snuck into the playoffs and won two games against a 64-win team, providing them with added confidence.
He’ll also be paired with Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum, who was a late-season addition that should be even better next season. With McCollum in the mix, the New Orleans Pelicans could have one of the best offensive trios in the NBA, and that should help the team compete in a fairly wide-open Western Conference. With this in mind, let’s look at four bold predictions for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Prediction #1: Dyson Daniels will be named to the All-Rookie First Team.
Dyson Daniels was selected eighth overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, and while he won’t start for the New Orleans Pelicans, he’ll still make an impact. Daniels is known as a well-rounded player, but he particularly excels on defense. He, alone, won’t prop up a 21st-ranked defense, but adding a defender of his caliber to the rotation should help raise their floor.
With more time to gel, the Pelicans could be around average on that end of the floor, allowing them to stop teams just enough for their potentially explosive offense to blow opponents’ doors off. Daniels isn’t a good shooter, so he might not help as much in the scoring department, but he is a talented passer and a creative finisher.
Both are useful skills, especially for a rookie, but it would be unfair to place high expectations on a teenager. Additionally, next season should be more about getting him acclimated to the team and the NBA.
Still, I expect him to make enough of an impact on a good team that he’ll warrant consideration for first-team all-rookie. I’ll be the first to admit that that’s ambitious, but this is all about bold predictions after all.
Prediction #2: Williamson will play 70 games and average 25 points.
It’s normally safe to assume that a player will play at least 70 games in an 82-game season, but that’s not the case with Williamson. Williamson has had trouble with injuries since being drafted and missed all of last season with a foot injury.
Fortunately, it seems that the injury is behind him, and I expect him to be mostly healthy next season and essentially pick up right where he left off during the 2020–21 season. Williamson averaged a stellar 27 points per game while shooting an incredible 61.1% from the field.
Those are high bars to clear, especially as he works his way back, but he looks in better shape than ever before, and he could be even tougher to stop. In fact, even with a possible minutes restriction early on, he could still average around 25 points per game next season.
Better yet, he could show improvement in shooting the ball from outside, allowing him to rely less on his amazing athleticism while expanding his game. But even if he can’t, he ranked third in the NBA in free throw attempts per game during his last healthy season, but he shot just 70% from the line.
Continuing to draw fouls at a high rate but shooting around 80% from the line could do wonders for his game, jump shot or not. Overall, Williamson putting up big numbers appears to be a given, but if all goes well, he’ll be the healthiest he’s been in a long time next season as well.
Prediction #3: Brandon Ingram will become a superstar
Ingram has seemingly flown under the radar nationally since the Anthony Davis trade dropped him in New Orleans. Bird references aside, Ingram has legitimately become one of the best players aged 25 and under in the NBA. In fact, he averaged a well-rounded 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists last season.
Despite that, Ingram was not selected for the All-Star team. I expect that to change, especially with the Pelicans likely to take flight next season.
Many of the Western Conference playoff teams from last season are in various states of flux, while the Pelicans have a great chance to make the playoffs and even make it to the second round, depending on matchups.
While Williamson’s return will play a significant role in the team’s success, a deep postseason run would also mean more eyes on Ingram. Moreover, if he can replicate his strong play in the playoffs, it would do wonders for his individual profile.
It could also change the perception that it’s Williamson’s team alone and get Ingram the recognition that he deserves. Therefore, I predict that he’ll truly break out next season.
Prediction #4: The New Orleans Pelicans will make another key mid-season trade
The Pelicans made a big deal to acquire McCollum at the trade deadline last season, and they could make another one next season. While they might be hard-pressed to find someone as good as McCollum, they could still add a key piece during the season.
This could be especially true if they’re better than expected (i.e., any combination of predictions one, two, and three are correct) and they believe that they could go far in the playoffs. The Pelicans still have several assets from the Davis trade to include in a deal and could also attach a former lottery pick, Jaxson Hayes, to help match salary.
Hayes will likely play a reduced role with Williamson and Jonas Valanciunas starting at power forward and center, and his role with the team is unclear going forward. There could be a few sellers too, particularly San Antonio, Utah, and Indiana, all of whom have several veterans that are likely available for the cost of a first-round pick and/or a young prospect.
New Orleans could meet that asking price and could scour those rosters for players that could help them win in the playoffs, assuming they’re in a position to do so next season.
All in all, the Pelicans expect to do very well next season. How good they are will depend on Daniels, Williamson’s health, Ingram becoming a superstar, and whether they can add another piece via trade.