5 NBA teams primed to see big increases in win totals for 2022-23
2. New Orleans Pelicans will soar with a full season of McCollum, Williamson.
2021-22 win total: 36 wins
Last year’s trade deadline saw the Pelicans make one of the most surprising acquisitions, bringing in CJ McCollum to help give the team an experienced building block that could help the team win right away—and that’s exactly what he did. The Pelicans were 20-32 before acquiring McCollum and 13-13 after acquiring him, proving why New Orleans was so eager to scoop him up in a trade with Portland.
Just by adding McCollum alone and with no Zion Williamson, the team hovered around a.500 win percentage. Imagine how much easier things will be with Williamson able to compete this season. And don’t forget about key rotation player Larry Nance Jr., who was only able to compete in nine games for the Pelicans last season.
On top of having those three players back for (hopefully) a full season, several key pieces are returning for the Pelicans in 2022-23, including Jonas Valaciunas, Brandon Ingram, and Herb Jones.
Finally, Zion Williamson has undergone a complete transformation since we last saw him sitting on the bench last season while he was injured. The before and after pictures are unbelievable—he looks healthy and stronger than ever.
Zion Williamson’s transformation is crazy. He’s back 💪💯 pic.twitter.com/4sAJPcR3hC
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) October 2, 2022
A healthy Williamson is going to be a fantastic luxury for this Pelicans team. The fact that he’s slimmed down and he’s strengthened his body should help him stay on the court this season, giving the team a huge asset they didn’t have last season.
New Orleans should have lofty expectations this season. It’s easy to envision this team being good enough to avoid the play-in this season if the team continues its upward trajectory like we saw late last season.