National Basketball Association

New Orleans Pelicans Season Preview Roundtable: Record, Standings, Breakouts

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:14 p.m. ET

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With the season beginning today, it’s a great time to get some New Orleans Pelicans predictions in ink. Here are our projections for the team’s record, place in the standings, and breakout star.

We always love your feedback! Any opinions you have on these New Orleans Pelicans questions can be sent to @PelicanDebrief on Twitter or down in the comments section below!

1. The Pelicans added several new, young players this offseason. Who breaks out the biggest among E’Twaun Moore, Solomon Hill, Langston Galloway, Terrence Jones, and Buddy Hield?

Rick Stone (@RickStoneNBA): I talked about this a bit in the last Podcast, but Terrence Jones seems really exciting for the upcoming season. The potential of him alongside Anthony Davis in small ball lineups is game changing. He’s already shown what kind of role he can possibly play in the preseason, with the capabilities to even run the offense if necessary. He might be able to do it all off the bench. That makes him the most potential break-out candidate of the bunch.

Rory Callais (@Rory_Callais): I think this will be the year things come together for Solomon Hill. His increased role in New Orleans will allow him to shine as a defender and a knock down shooter when he gets an open look. Given what he will be asked to do, his contributions will not light up a stat line. However, he’ll provide a lot of intangibles and New Orleans fans will love his grit and hard work ethic.

Evan Wheeler (@EvanWheelz): Buddy Hield’s the easy answer for me, the team’s 6th overall selection back in June is poised to make an impact this season for the Pelicans. Whether it be as a sixth man or the eventual starting shooting guard, Hield is capable of becoming the secondary scorer the Pelicans so desperately need to compliment Davis and take some pressure off his back. Hield averaged a respectable 12.5 points per game in the preseason but only shot 28.6 percent from beyond the arc. I expect Hield to thrive as one of the top options off of New Orleans bench this season and provide a scoring punch for Alvin Gentry’s second unit.

Brendon Kleen (@BrendonKleen14): Am I allowed to say Langston Galloway? He won’t pop as much as the other guys on this list, but relative to our expectations, it’s not crazy to believe he’ll impact the game just as much. I was worried there wouldn’t be a spot for him in the rotation, but even with Lance Stephenson getting minutes in preseason, there were plenty available for the bulldog combo guard.

Oct 4, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) shoots over Indiana Pacers forward Thaddeus Young (21) during the first quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

2. Thirty and Fifty-Two. That was the team’s final record last season. Their over/under in Vegas is 36.5. How many wins do the Pelicans win this season?

Stone: I think the team gets over 30 wins, just due to the fact this team should not be ravaged by injuries. Still, this is a huge work in progress. Many of these players are just learning the system and a brand new team will need time to mesh correctly. 35 wins seems like a fair estimate, due to the difficulty the Western Conference will bring. It will not be as bad as last year. Still, the playoffs is still likely out of reach for this Pelicans team.

Callais: I’ll take the slight over, with 37-38 wins seeming realistic. That said, should injury luck break the Pelicans’ way and Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans come back earlier than expected, wins in the low 40s is a remote possibility. However, those are some monumental “if’s.”

Wheeler: I say they get to 36 wins or just barely go over with 37-38 wins. Jrue Holiday coming back would be enormous as Rory stated above, and would improve the chances of the Pelicans winning 41+ games and pushing for one of the last playoff spots in the West.

Kleen: Yikes. I’m going to say the over here as well, because it’s very difficult to get past the fact that the Pelicans will have the best player on the court in so many of their games, and have more insulation this year for that player (Anthony Davis) to avoid over-exerting himself. Now it’s a matter of him balancing aggression and production. If he can do it, they’ll be within shouting distance of a .500 record all year.

Oct 1, 2016; Bossier City, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Buddy Hield (24) signs autographs following a game against the Dallas Mavericks at CenturyLink Center. New Orleans won 116-102. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

3. The Pelicans are a year removed from a surprise playoff berth and first-round sweep. They are without their second-best player for at least a month or two. Where do they finish in the Western Conference standings?

Stone: They are in a clustered group looking to sneak into that eighth spot with the Nuggets, Mavericks, Lakers and pretty much the rest of the non-top seven in the West. It’s easy to see them being better than a few of the teams, but anything above ninth is a little far-fetched. I would say 10th based on the prediction of 35 wins– they’ll have a few moments where they tease themselves that they could sneak into the playoffs. However, it’ll probably end just a handful of games out of the playoffs this year.

Callais: While I agree that the playoffs are unlikely for the Pelicans in 2016-17, I don’t think it is impossible that New Orleans makes the postseason. The things that need to happen for the Pelicans to play better are well-known, but assertions that the Pelicans will definitely be on the outside looking in come with a lot of uncomfortable assumptions. It is safe to assume Golden State and San Antonio will remain at the top of the conference. However, I feel the National Media may be a touch too quick to anoint both Utah and Minnesota, saddling both young teams with potentially unrealistic expectations. It is unclear whether Harrison Barnes will grow into a star for Dallas or if Chandler Parsons will miss significant time for Memphis. Even if Russell Westbrook averages a triple double for Oklahoma City, there’s no guarantee those numbers translate to enough wins to make the postseason. And while Houston may well average 120 points a game, there is no reason to believe they won’t give up 125.

The Pelicans are a flawed team at the moment, but I think the West is volatile enough to possibly provide an opening for New Orleans to break through.

Wheeler: I think the Pelicans finish anywhere from 9th-12th; making the playoffs isn’t too far off, but with the likes of the Nuggets, Mavericks, Jazz, Grizzlies, Thunder, Rockets, etc. scratching and fighting for the last two or three playoff spots, I have a hard time seeing New Orleans making it in. I just don’t believe they have the necessary talent or health to compete in the West currently.

Kleen: The Western Conference’s third tier is even more clustered than its first or second. The Timberwolves, Nuggets, Pelicans, Kings, Mavericks and Grizzlies all have the potential to fly or fail depending on how health and development treat them. That being said, I have the Pelicans at 11, behind the ‘Wolves, Grizzlies, and Mavericks in that group. It’ll take a lot for this roster to outperform those ones.