Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
The New Orleans Pelicans’ minuscule playoff hopes are rapidly disappearing, but there are still plenty of stories to follow when they take on the New York Knicks in a Sunday matinee.
I recently wrote that the Knicks have given the Pelicans a blueprint for success, as they are building around a versatile, playmaking forward and used a big jump in defense to make the leap into the playoffs.
The Knicks are still not great, but their rebuild is currently one step ahead of the Pelicans’, who are looking at another year in the lottery even though Zion Williamson is playing like an MVP candidate.
Zion will almost certainly make the All-NBA team this season but it hasn’t been enough to undo the team’s total lack of defense and a bench that has been terrible for most of the year.
The Pels aren’t eliminated yet, and could still make a run at the play-in tournament, but even if they don’t, there are some interesting stories to follow vs. the Knicks.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Knicks: Zion Williamson and Julius Randle
In my opinion, Julius Randle and Zion Williamson should be one and two in the voting for Most Improved Player this season.
Randle has the better overall numbers for the season and his team is likely headed to the playoffs, so I have no problem with him winning even though Zion has probably made a bigger leap as a player.
This game will give Zion Williamson another chance to show he at least belongs ahead of guys like Christian Wood and Michael Porter Jr. whose improvement has mostly come due to increased minutes.
Randle has been one of the big stories of the NBA this season, so I’d love for Zion to put a smackdown on the Knicks today to remind people that he should be in the running too.
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April 18, 2021 at 07:05PM
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New Orleans Pelicans: 3 stories to follow vs. the Knicks - Pelican Debrief
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