Heading into a season in which the defending-champion Nuggets still exist, the Suns have loaded up, the Lakers have added depth and the Warriors have brought on Chris Paul, it might seem a bit baffling to give considerable thought to the Pelicans, which have failed to reach the playoffs this year.
But taking even the slightest moment to consider the reality New Orleans faced as of late—losing Zion Williamson for the last 45 games of the season, and seeing him and Brandon Ingram play in a grand total of just 12 games together over the past two campaigns—clarifies a lot. Boasting Williamson, Ingram and CJ McCollum, the Pelicans have an enormous amount of high-end talent. They have impressive wing depth as well, with stud defender Herbert Jones and high-flying sharpshooter Trey Murphy III, among others.
What the club hasn’t had in recent years is good health. While the team was essentially in the middle of the pack in terms of games missed due to injury last season, ranking 13th with 194, those absences took a larger toll on New Orleans than most clubs given that Williamson and Ingram alone accounted for 46.3% of them. The story from the season before, when Williamson failed to play at all, was more drastic; the Pels ranked sixth in games lost due to injury, with 297.
