Would The Pelicans Be Next To Make Their First NBA Finals?
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The Denver Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in four games to earn their first NBA Finals berth in franchise history. With their victory, there are only five teams left in the NBA who have never made it to the NBA Finals.
The Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies, and New Orleans Pelicans seek their first trip to the last round. Could the Pelicans be the next team to make it to the championship round?
To look forward, we must look back at the last two teams to punch their ticket to the Finals, this year's Denver Nuggets and the 2018-2019 Toronto Raptors. Both teams reached the Conference Finals precisely three years before their first Finals trip. Both teams were led by an All-NBA Second Team player (Kawhi Leonard for the Raptors, Nikola Jokic for the Nuggets) and a bunch of savvy veteran leaders.
Toronto and Denver proved experience in the NBA matters. Those teams started with four players having at least six years of experience in the league. The rest of the roster consisted of battle-tested veterans and young guys eager to prove themselves. Currently, this isn't the roster makeup of the Pelicans.
Jan 7, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; (from left) New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson and forward Brandon Ingram watch the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the New Orleans Pelicans at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Entering the 2022-2023 season, the New Orleans Pelicans were the thirteenth youngest team in the NBA age-wise, with the average years of team experience at 3.88. Of those thirteen teams, only four qualified for the playoffs this season. The Pelicans were not one of those teams.
New Orleans has a chance to compete, but injuries have doomed this team for the last few years. The Pelicans could use some additional athletic veteran presence, and they have the assets to make it happen. New Orleans has four first-round picks over the next three years. They also boast a young talented roster, so they have the needed assets to make a host of deals happen.
How all that materializes into an NBA Finals trip remains to be seen. They don't have the recent consistent playoff appearances like the Nuggets this season or the 2019 Raptors. Their roster consists of at least six players with four years or less experience who log meaningful minutes. Above all, the Pelicans need to play together.
This year's Nuggets team saw every starter play at least 62 games this season. Unfortunately, the same does not apply to the Pelicans. Not only did the team's "Big 3" play just ten games together, but their two best players only played a combined 74 games in the year.
The Pelicans are in better condition than the Hornets and possibly the Grizzlies, depending on the disciplinary action taken against Ja Morant by the NBA. However, the team has never made it to the Conference Finals, let alone compete for the championship. The Pelicans must acquire additional players to complete the championship puzzle to become the first team to reach the Finals.
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