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New Orleans Pelicans: 3 bold predictions for 2018-19 NBA season

By James Grieco

PHILADELPHIA,PA - FEBRUARY 9 : Anthony Davis #23, Jrue Holiday #11 and Nikola Mirotic #3 of the New Orleans Pelicans look on against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on February 9, 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 - FEBRUARY 9 : Anthony Davis #23, Jrue Holiday #11 and Nikola Mirotic #3 of the New Orleans Pelicans look on against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on February 9, 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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Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images /

3. Julius Randle will make the All-Star Game

The Pelicans went out and signed Julius Randle to a two-year, $17.7 million deal this offseason to fill the Boogie-sized hole in their frontcourt.

Randle was an absolute beast for the Los Angeles Lakers last season, posting 16.1 points on just 11 field goal attempts per game to go with 8.0 rebounds in 26.7 minutes per game. The lack of starter-level minutes wasn’t his fault either, as the Lakers clearly didn’t view Randle, a restricted free agent this past summer, as part of their team’s future when considering the opportunity cost of extending him an offer.

Their loss is New Orleans’ gain, as Randle, just 23 years old, has already shown an innate knack for rebounding and interior scoring.

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Advanced stats indicate the Randle signing will be aces for New Orleans as well. He posted a 13.5 on NBA.com’s player impact estimate — higher than Al Horford and John Wall and tied with All-NBA Second Team selection DeMar DeRozan. His Player Efficiency Rating was 19.96, good for 41st in the league and ahead of players like Kyle Lowry and Paul George.

Neither PIE nor PER is perfect — far from it, and many advanced stats don’t mean much in a vacuum, but there is no denying that Randle is a damn good basketball player.

Playing alongside Anthony Davis will mitigate Randle’s defensive issues and get him better shots around the basket as defenses scheme to stop Davis specifically. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Randle posts 20 and 10, which, combined with a winning team, would put him in the thick of the conversation for the All-Star Game.

Competition for frontcourt spots in the West is fierce, so this is obviously a stretch, but I didn’t say these predictions were bold for nothing.

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