New Orleans, La.- The NBA has officially hit the 2022-23 midseason mark and the New Orleans Pelicans are finally getting respected by national outlets. The league’s report card gave the team the highest marks, role players are getting their due, and head coach Willie Green is becoming a household name in hoops circles.
The Pelicans got an A on the NBA.com report card. The only other Western Conference team to get an A was the Memphis Grizzlies. Willie Green’s young squad has made a lot of progress and has done so while winning games. They were bound to get noticed by building upon last season’s playoff run with a 25-16 start to this season.
The David Griffin-led front office “deserves credit for putting together a team that has thrived despite missing key players for significant stretches due to its incredible depth” going by Michael C. Wright’s grading report. Brandon Ingram (toe), who has not played since Thanksgiving dinner was still in the fridge, is out indefinitely. Zion Williamson (hamstring) will be out for at least another week by the team’s given timetable.
Dec 30, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) is helped up by guard Trey Murphy III (25) and center Jonas Valanciunas (17) after being fouled by Philadelphia 76ers forward PJ Tucker during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
The Pelicans still found a way to piece together a seven-game winning streak in Ingram’s absence. In fact, the All-Star duo has played just 11 games together so far. Still, New Orleans went 5-3 in the first half of the season when they were out.
Willie Green even ground out wins (3-2) when CJ McCollum missed time. McCollum’s leadership in the other 37 games to keep the Pelicans in the heavyweight fight for home-court advantage out west has him inching up the All-Star charts.
Trey Murphy III, Jose Alvarado, Naji Marshall, and Larry Nance Jr. have provided the scrappy support needed to keep the team on top of the standings for the rest of the year. Almost every Pelican took a jump in the latest Ringer NBA Player rankings.
A group of 30 NBA beat reporters were surveyed and the Pelicans came out as the supposed 6th best team in the NBA, behind the Denver Nuggets (3rd) and Memphis Grizzlies (5th) out west. Five Western Conference teams are pegged to represent in the NBA Finals, including the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, and LA Clippers. The Pelicans did not receive a vote.
Jan 9, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (17) dunks during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
The Pelicans are entertaining. New Orleans beating the Phoenix Suns in overtime on December, 11 got at least one vote for the best game of the year. Zion Williamson’s 360-windmill dunk versus Phoenix on December 9 is the third-best play of the year according to the beat writers.
“New Orleans becoming a contender” is one of the most surprising storylines of the season, but everyone in the Smoothie King Center will tell you they saw it coming this time last year.
It’s a three-horse race for Coach of the Year at the midway point. Jacque Vaughn (Brooklyn Nets- 43%), Willie Green (New Orleans Pelicans-23%), and Joe Mazzulla (Boston Celtics- 23%) have separated from the pack. However, Green did not get a single vote for best in-game adjustments or ATOs (after time-out plays).
Teresa Weatherspoon is pegged to be one of the next assistants to find a head coaching job. Garrett Temple was second behind Chris Paul for the player most likely to be a coach. CJ McCollum and Larry Nance Jr. got votes for most underrated.
Jose Alvarado, MR. GTA himself got 31% of the vote for the scrappiest player in the league. Only a handful of All-World talents are between Zion Williamson and the top spot on the “forces opposing coaches to make the most adjustments” vote.
The Pels12 got a shoutout as well. New Orleans received votes on the best home court advantage ballot. No one saw that coming last January regardless of the team’s obvious on-court potential, which is ranked as third-best behind Memphis and the Orlando Magic.
Now the team just needs to shake off the injury bug to close out what could be one of the best seasons in franchise history. Carnival just started, Mardi Gras is a few weeks away, and the Pelicans have one of the easiest parade routes through the back half of the schedule.
For a basketball city, this party is just getting started. The out-of-town media is just starting to take notice.
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