NBA: Ranking the 2019 Christmas Day games
By Eliot Clough
4. Pelicans vs. Nuggets
The New Orleans Pelicans, having come off another season in which they missed the playoffs, have high hopes going into the coming season, and for good reason.
Having added three young, talented players from Los Angeles, grabbed the No. 1 overall pick in Zion Williamson and retained Jrue Holiday on a lucrative contract, the squad has a much brighter future than it has in recent years.
But that doesn’t mean they’ll make the playoffs. That doesn’t mean Williamson will win Rookie of the Year. That doesn’t mean they’ll be competitive.
We’ve seen injuries plague Lonzo Ball. J.J. Redick is old. We simply don’t know how good Williamson is going to be in the league.
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets have a plethora of young talent that we saw nearly make the Western Conference Finals in 2019.
Nikola Jokic is easily the best big man passer in the league, Jamal Murray is ascending to possible stardom and the roster includes two young assets with extremely high ceilings in Michael Porter Jr. and Bol Bol. And for that reason, this matchup comes in at four on this list.
Many NBA fans want the Pelicans to be a playoff team in 2019-20, and if they are, this could be an excellent matchup. But with the track record of the franchise, don’t count on it, and don’t count on this being a highly competitive game. Entertaining surely, but competitive? Likely not.