Checking in on the undefeated New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans have put the NBA on notice after a strong 3-0 start to their 2018-19 NBA season.

Coming into the 2018-19 NBA season, the New Orleans Pelicans were ranked several tiers below the championship contenders — the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets — in the crowded Western Conference fray. After the first week of the season, however, the Pelicans look much better than most anticipated.

Putting a complete smackdown on the Rockets in Houston to start the season put everyone on notice, and the Pels followed up that mesmerizing performance by running the Sacramento Kings off the court and weathering an off shooting night against the competent Los Angeles Clippers. With the pesky but directionless Brooklyn Nets coming into New Orleans on Friday night, the Pelicans are well positioned to start 4-0 for the first time in Anthony Davis‘ career.

New Orleans has picked up right where it left off last season, playing at a pace of 106 possessions per 48 minutes, good for third in the league, and following the lead of their Chicago-born superstar in Davis.

Through the first three games of the season, AD is averaging an MVP-level stat line: 30.3 points, 13.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 3.3 blocks and 2.0 steals per game. Of course, he isn’t doing it alone — free agent signings Julius Randle and Elfrid Payton are playing some of the best basketball of their careers, Jrue Holiday is contributing on both end of the court despite just 11 points per game and Nikola Mirotic has proven to be the perfect running mate for the Brow.

Mirotic’s play has been a key for the Pelicans since coming over to New Orleans at the 2018 trade deadline, and so far this season he’s averaging 28 points and 10.3 rebounds per game while shooting 47.8 percent from 3-range. When he’s putting up numbers like those, the Pelicans are nearly impossible to beat.

While 3-0 is an impressive start, we’re going to learn a lot more about this Pelicans team fast, as from Oct. 29-Nov. 5, they have a five-game road trip against the Denver Nuggets, the Golden State Warriors, the Portland Trail Blazers, the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder. If they can replicate even 75 percent of the success they’ve had thus far against that gauntlet, we’ll know without a doubt that this team is for real.

Here is a deep dive into the main factors and trends that have thus far propelled New Orleans’ success.