Pelicans Injury List Looks Like a Laundry List

The New Orleans Pelicans find themselves near the bottom of the loaded Western Conference as injuries have piled for them. Four of their five projected preseason starters, Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum and Herb Jones have all missed at least one game. Key bench pieces Jose Alvarado, Jordan Hawkins and Trey Murphy have also missed at least one game. That’s essentially seven of the top eight rotational players for New Orleans.

Head coach Willie Green deserves credit for the adversity he’s been through. In three full seasons as the Pelicans, Green has increased the win total by at least five each year. The biggest non-factor for Green has been the lack of availability from his two best players, Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Green’s improvement has been impressive despite not having Williamson and Ingram consistently available. 

It would be difficult for New Orleans to be afloat with all these injuries. When looking at this roster on paper, it would be extremely difficult to see three former all stars - Williamson, Ingram and Murray, as well as McCollum, who has had over ten seasons of scoring at least 20 points per game without an all star appearance, miss the playoffs entirely with this much talent on the roster. For the last five, six years in New Orleans, it has been “when New Orleans is healthy…” Now, as the injuries continue to look like a laundry list, it becomes “if New Orleans is healthy…”