Dumas new official takes office and Zion returns from losing weight! Can the Pelicans bottom and rebound in the new season?

Review of the

24-25 season, the Pelicans only achieved 21 wins and 61 losses, ranking second in the Western Conference, with a winning rate of 25.6% hitting a record low in team history in the past 20 years. This is also the second worst record in the Pelicans' 24-year team history, only better than the 18 wins and 64 losses in the 2004-05 season. Behind the bleak record of

, the Pelicans' performance last season was actually understandable. The main lineup has suffered a severe injury wave - the star Zion has only played 30 games, the new aid Dezhangtai Murray has played 31 games, the forward gate Herbert Jones has played 20 games, and Ingram has 18 games (later traded in the middle of the season). Most of the time the team has had to rely on CJ, Murphy, Alvarado and even rookie center Misey (the highest team played in 73 games) to support the game. In terms of actual performance on the court, the Pelicans also exposed obvious problems. The poor three-point shooting became a fatal injury on the offensive end. The team averaged only 12 three-point shootings per game, ranking 27th in the league. The three-point shooting percentage was also in the downstream of the league. There was no stable end point and a mature tactical system. The situation on the defensive end was even worse. The team was full of wounded soldiers, the defensive system was almost collapsed, and the defensive efficiency ranked second in the league.

Offs operation

Management replacement. The Pelicans chose to fire David Griffin and hire Joe Dumas to serve as president of basketball operations, officially entering a new team building cycle. The latter immediately began to make some adjustments to the lineup after taking office.

for Poole. During the offseason, the Pelicans' first deal was slightly controversial: they gave out CJ McCollum, Olynick and a future second round, and obtained Poole, Sadiq Bay and the No. 40 pick (selected forward Pivie). Last season, Poole averaged 20.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.3 breaks per game in 29.4 minutes per game, with a shooting percentage of 43.2/37.8/88.3% in three events. The offensive firepower seems to have returned to the level of the last season of the Warriors' career. But can swap 34-year-old CJ with 26-year-old Poole really bring a significant upgrade? After all, CJ has a 30 million expiration contract, and Poole's contract has two years left (average salary of about 33 million), and is about to face renewal. The Wizards are of course happy to promote this deal, but looking at the Pelicans' current payroll, it may be difficult to give Poole a fat contract, but compared with draft night operations, this deal is completely within an acceptable range.

2 signed center Looney 16 million. Just as people are looking forward to the Pelicans introducing a space center to assist Zion, the Pelicans signed the semi-abandoned champion center Looney for 16 million in two years. Last season, Looney played 76 games but averaged only 15 minutes of playing time. His rebounding and support ability do not seem to be urgently needed by the Pelicans, but his championship experience and influence may bring a more important winning culture to this young team.

renew Herbert Jones. Although he only played 20 games due to injury last season, the Pelicans still renewed their contract with defensive vanguard Jones in advance for 3 years and 68 million yuan. If the injury has little impact, Jones, who can enter the first defensive team in the 23-24 season and shoots 41.8% three-point shooting percentage, is absolutely worth this price.

7 pick to defend Fels. Coincidentally, as a dynamic and aggressive dual-athlete guard, Fells' NBA template before the draft was Pelicans new player Poole. He has infinite possibilities without fear of big scenes, but Fells clearly needs enough time to grow and try and error. In time, he may become the most reliable offensive engine for the Pelicans.

Use the No. 23 sign and the 26-year unprotected first round of the Hawks No. 13 sign? The outrageousness of this transaction operation can be used to illustrate this report: When Graham, the Hawks senior vice president, received the call for this transaction, he could not believe it, and even asked the other party to clarify many times to confirm that the extra unprotected first round was indeed part of the transaction. At the end of the matter, Hawks GM Saleh even called Joe Dumas to confirm, for fear that the Pelicans would regret it and withdraw the deal.

In the end, the Pelicans used this 13th pick to choose Derek Quinn, a center with 2.06 meters, template Randolph, a center with defender passing and control skills, poor shooting, defensive physical fitness is a hidden danger, no matter how you look at it, it looks like a weakened version of Zion...

The current main lineup

defenders: Dezhangtai Murray (rehabilitation), Poole (trading), Alvarado , Hawkins, Fells (7th pick), McGoverns (two-way), Trae Alexander (two-way);

Forwards: Zion, Herbert Jones, Murphy, Sadiq Bay, Mattkovic, Pivie (two-way);

Centers: Missy, Quinn (two-way), Looney, Dickinson (two-way);

Estimated starters: Poole, Herbert Jones, Murphy, Zion, Missy.

New Season Outlook

Can the Pelicans bottom out and rebound?

Judging from the strength on paper, Jones and Murray's healthy return will surely greatly improve the team's defensive resilience. Poole's joining has enhanced offensive firepower, and the young players obtained in the draft have also injected fresh blood into the team. However, the Pelicans' chemistry is still an unknown... Poole at the beginning of the season had to prove that he was competent in the starting point guard, and Zion's health was a common topic. However, compared with last season, the Pelicans' talent has indeed improved significantly, but the combat power remains to be seen.

Zion's sudden weight

Pelics coach Willie Green: "When Zion can play, he is one of the best players in the league."

At the media day, Zion clearly became the biggest highlight of the Pelicans' new season. The most important thing about weight loss is to reduce the load on the lower limbs and reduce the risk of injury, because it has always been his "unhealthy", and the improvement in lateral movement speed can also bring benefits to the defensive end. If Zion can maintain such a physical condition and play in most of the new season, then it is a high probability that he will return to the All-Star ranks.

Region forecast

The fierce competition in the Western Conference has increased. Strong teams such as the Thunder, Timberwolves, and Nuggets have always maintained their competitiveness, and the Mavericks, Rockets and other teams are also continuing to strengthen. In such an environment, it is extremely difficult for the Pelicans to directly enter the playoffs, unless Zion can perform at the MVP level season. The realistic expectation is: strive for more than 35 wins and rank 9-12th in the Western Conference. If the core players can stay healthy, the Pelicans will have the ability to make a breakthrough from the playoffs.