Considering they had to try and tackle the juggernaut that is the 2023-24 Oklahoma City Thunder without the services of their best player and foundation stone in Zion Williamson, the New Orleans Pelicans did well to at least make the final game of this series close. Nonetheless, it is over almost as soon as it began, as the Thunder closed out the series on Monday night.
A 49-33 regular season record spoke to the Pelicans’ quality, and with Zion managing to appear in 70 of those games, they finally got a proper look at the results of the team they have been building for three years. However, in the fiendishly tough Western Conference, it was only good enough for an unfortunate draw against the Thunder. And once Zion was ruled out, the slim chance of the upset was extinguished.
Williamson, unequivocally, continues to hold the key to the future. If he makes it to the top, so may they; if he never realizes his potential, neither will they, no matter who else is around at the time. Now on his maximum value contract, things have stopped being cheap, and the Pelicans are thinking of trying to compete for the championship in the upcoming season, even if the seventh seed makes it seem quite some ways off.
Here follows a look at the New Orleans Pelicans’ roster and spending heading into the 2024 NBA offseason.