As of right now the New Orleans Pelicans sit on top of the Western Conference at 18–9. Are The New Orleans Pelicans good enough to make the Finals? Maybe. It all depends on Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
Through 27 games the New Orleans Pelicans have proven to be one of the best teams in the NBA, and they’ve done it on both offense and defense. They are 5th in points per game and 9th in opponent’s points per game. To be able to compete for a championship you need to be able to do it on both sides of the ball. The Pelicans are also a great rebounding team, they rank 7th in rebounds per game. Rebounds are extremely important, there is nothing worse than watching your team clamp up the opponents for 24 seconds just to give up a rebound and a second opportunity for scoring. The Pelicans look very good statistically but the most important thing for their team competing for a championship is injuries.
Both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram are very injury prone. Brandon Ingram has only played 15 games this season and only 55 last season. Zion Williamson only played 85 games throughout his first 3 years in the NBA. Everyone knows that Zion Williamson is injury prone, but it is extremely important now that he stays on the court. He is the star of the New Orleans Pelicans and NBA teams cannot win without their star. The Pelicans are a good team all around with players like Jose Alverado, Jonas Valanciunas, C.J. McCollum, Trey Murphy, etc. But it doesn’t matter how deep the New Orleans Pelicans are if Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram don’t stay healthy. So, to answer the question are the New Orleans Pelicans good enough to make the Finals? Yes, barring injury.
Sources:
ESPN
2022–23 New Orleans Pelicans Stats | ESPN
2022–23 NBA Team Differential Stats | ESPN
Basketball Reference
Brandon Ingram Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more | Basketball-Reference.com
Zion Williamson Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more | Basketball-Reference.com