The New Orleans Pelicans suffered a disappointing 89-97 defeat in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series against the OKC Thunder. The loss meant that Pelicans became only the second team to be swept in the playoffs this year. They have now gone six years without making it past the first round of the playoffs. Many expected the team to be a strong contender to make a deep playoff run, but the Pels have once again exhibited a mediocre performance in the postseason.
CJ McCollum, Jonas Valanciunas and Naji Marshall scored 20, 19 and 16 points respectively in Game 4, but that was not enough to stop the OKC Thunder on the night. Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the young side kept making big plays in the fourth quarter to run away with another brilliant win. Pelicans, on the other hand, played with no intent in crucial situations as they only managed to score 18 points in the fourth quarter as compared to the 27 scored by the Thunder.
Playing without Zion Williamson, things were expected to be difficult for the New Orleans Pelicans in the playoffs. The former Duke player injured himself in the Play-In game against the LA Lakers. He had 40 points and looked solid throughout the night, but an injury meant that he would have to leave the game and it was later reported that the two-time All-Star had suffered a hamstring injury that would keep him out for a significant amount of time.
Without Zion in the lineup, the New Orleans Pelicans showed no character to fight for a place in the next round. Having not made any progress in the past few years, the management might have to make some big decisions in the offseason.
How good is the current New Orleans Pelicans team?
The New Orleans Pelicans are a young side who can beat any team in the NBA on their day. Led by Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, the team has failed to make a deep playoff run, but it is due to the long list of injuries that they have had in the past few years.
Zion has played only 184 NBA games since getting drafted in 2019. He has not played over 70 games even once in his career, which shows how injury-prone he has been. However, when he is on the court, there are not many players that can get the better of him.
His ability to force his way into the paint and make buckets has helped him average 24.7 PPG in the league. He has been heavily criticised by NBA experts due to his inability to lose weight, but Williamson has looked in shape throughout the 2023-24 season. His injury problems have hampered the Pels’ growth and they certainly need to make a decision about his future in the summer.
Is Zion Williamson’s unavailability the biggest reason behind the New Orleans Pelicans’ failure?
The New Orleans Pelicans also have the likes of Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum on the roster. Both of these are more than capable of winning games single-handedly, but despite their efforts, the Pels have always fallen short in the postseason. A lot of it is due to the lack of help the duo get in the absence of Zion Williamson.
The Pels do not have any player with an X-factor that can lead them to win in big games. They look dangerous for periods in the regular season, but the lack of big-game players has cost them a lot in the postseason. Willie Green has been a great coach for the team, but there is only so much that he can do with the roster the Pels have. They certainly need to revisit their plan in the offseason and maybe trade one of their stars to make room for players that better fit the Pelicans style of play.
