With a Little Luck, Pelicans Can Get Playoff Experience and Land Prime Draft Pick
The debate over the best-case scenario for the New Orleans Pelicans hinges on the value given to playoff experience versus increasing NBA Draft lottery odds. Thankfully for the front office, they can still have the best of both worlds. The Pelicans can still land a top prospect and gain some playoff experience. New Orleans needs to win their way into the NBA Playoffs and get help from either the New York Knicks or Washington Wizards.
They could lose out if the Lakers take the playoff spot while the Knicks and Wizards tank. New Orleans just pulled off one colossal comeback win over Los Angeles in the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans can handle a lot of the heavy lifting to ensure a playoff spot themselves; they'll have to do most of it from suitcases.
New Orleans will end the season playing games that matter but have only two home games remaining after beating the Lakers. New Orleans travels to Portland, Los Angeles to play the Lakers and L.A. Clippers, then Sacramento to close out a four-game road trip. It is a manageable schedule if the team can get healthy, seemingly the biggest 'if' in New Orleans hoops history.
Portland and Sacramento have already started playing with the NBA Draft in mind, but the Golden State Warriors could still be fighting for seeding in the last game of the season. It's a trip to face a Memphis Grizzlies squad trying to prove they are serious title contenders.
The Pelicans are now favored to win the 9th seed instead of watching the play-in game from home. New Orleans has come a long way from the 1-12 start, but they will still be scoreboard watching nightly to see what the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs are doing. Breaking down their schedules does give New Orleans hope but not much margin for error.
Feb 27, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) looks on in the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The Lakers travel to Dallas and Utah before returning home to host the Pelicans on Friday, Apr. 1. Los Angeles will be underdogs in both games regardless of if Lebron James plays. The Lakers play against Denver, then travel to Phoenix and Golden State to play against title contenders and MVP candidates. The schedule is doing New Orleans some favors to keep Los Angeles close for the final two weeks.
The Spurs own the head-to-head tie-breaker over the Pelicans but are still one game below the play-in cutoff line. San Antonio plays Portland twice at home after a trip to Houston. Every other game is against one of the top six teams in the Western Conference. Comparatively, the Pelicans only play two teams with a winning record the rest of the year.
Mar 6, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
It is not improbable that the Pelicans can land a top 10 pick after making a playoff run. They need to beat teams without winning records and hope the Lakers continue their slide facing the third-toughest remaining schedule. All New Orleans needs is help and some ping-pong ball luck to land a prized draft pick.
The question then is to make the pick or trade it for another established star? That is a question the front office is not worried about yet. The team has to earn a playoff series first. It starts with getting Brandon Ingram back and a win over the Lakers tonight.
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