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What’s good y’all. It’s Prince here with another Layup Lines, and I want to talk about the Pelicans for a minute. The reason is because Zion Williamson showed up to media day on Monday, and he looked to be in outstanding shape. It got me thinking about the potential of the team in New Orleans this season.
Just think about it. The Pels closed last season as one of the hottest teams in the NBA. Only five teams had a better net rating than them after the All-Star break. They acquired C.J. McCollum at the trade deadline to pair with Brandon Ingram, and the two combined to average more than 46 points per game together. All along, Herbert Jones was emerging as one of the best young players in the game, defending his way to a Second Team All-Rookie selection. And role players like Jose Alvarado gave the team an infusion of good energy.
This culminated in the Pelicans beating the Spurs and Clippers in the play-in tournament to sneak into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. Once there, they gave a scare to the top-seeded Phoenix Suns — who had been the best team in the NBA all season — taking two of the first four games before losing in six.
And now, they’re adding an explosive athlete like Williamson, who’s potentially as fit as he’s ever been? Yep, I’ll be watching as many of their games I can. Pelicans head coach Willie Green said Williamson “dominated” their scrimmage Tuesday night, and I believe him.
The last time we saw Williamson healthy, in 2020-21, he averaged 27 points on 61% shooting, seven rebounds and almost four assists through 61 games. That was before his new look! With him finally healthy again, the bar raises for what the Pelicans can accomplish. Their preseason win total over/under is 44.5. I think they’ll come close to hitting it, and it’ll be fun to watch them try.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
From one player whose injury woes are behind him to another whose knee injury continues to ail him. The Chicago Bulls announced earlier this week that Lonzo Ball would undergo an arthroscopic procedure on the same left knee that required surgery in January.
It’s a tough blow for Ball, obviously, as his career has been marred by injuries from the beginning. But also for the Bulls, who just weren’t the same team after he went down last season. He’ll be re-evaluated in four-to-six weeks, which is sometime after the start of the regular season. But the latest on his knee is beyond concerning, as our guy Bryan Kalbrosky wrote:
“Ball said he experiences pain climbing stairs, range of motion is an issue, he can’t play basketball, and he can’t jump. He said this is something that he has never dealt with before, and even the doctors are concerned.
This is especially concerning because as part of his injury rehabilitation, he began ramping up to running back in March. He paused running altogether by the end of the month, however, and he began experiencing discomfort once again during the ramp-up process in April.
Ball said that he is worried he may have tried to rush himself back for the playoffs, and he doesn’t want that to happen again.”
Shootaround
— Jamal Crawford is a perfect replacement for Dwyane Wade on TNT’s NBA broadcasts
— The Celtics are still favored to win the title after Ime Udoka’s suspension, but should they be?
— Markeiff Morris hilariously compared the Nets’ offseason drama to his marriage.
— Here’s how you can watch top draft prospects Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson face off.
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