The New Orleans Pelicans should feel optimistic seeing the 2020 NBA Playoffs unfold
When I started watching the 2020 NBA Playoffs, I was initially sad that the young New Orleans Pelicans weren’t there. After all, when the Pelicans arrived in the bubble I thought it was a given that they would make it as the final playoff team in the Western Conference.
When that didn’t happen, I like many other Pelicans fans felt deflated about watching the rest of the NBA product. Now, as the games are unfolding I feel more optimistic about the New Orleans Pelicans going into the 2021 season.
(Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images)
Why The 2020 NBA Playoffs should give New Orleans Pelicans Fans Optimism
What these playoffs are showing me, is something unique that could be marking a change in the NBA landscape. I’m seeing young teams performing in the playoffs beyond expectations, and I believe the New Orleans Pelicans organization is seeing it too.
On any given night, NBA fans can turn on their televisions and see an array of postseason games that feature notable young stars leading their teams into the playoffs. These performances should give the New Orleans Pelicans hope for their team’s future.
During the first round, the most enticing of those matchups was seeing the Dallas Mavericks or as I call them the Luka Doncic-show play. Doncic at only 21 years old pushed the Los Angeles Clippers to six games and stole the show with multiple 40 point outbursts.
It’s not just Luka Doncic’s Larry Bird impression highlighting younger players in the playoffs either. Look at the Denver Nuggets, they just made it to the second round with a roster whose core players are all under 25.
Nikola Jokic, Micheal Porter Jr., and the emerging (should’ve been a Pelican) Jamal Murray all have played great games in the NBA bubble and they’re now getting into what could be a deep playoff run.
That’s before even mentioning the best young team in the playoffs, the Boston Celtics who are led by Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. That young duo hasn’t lost a playoff game yet, with a stellar record of 6-0 so far.
The point is, that the old fashioned belief that only veteran teams win in the NBA is changing. Teams in the modern NBA recognize that players change teams more than Micheal Jordan changes the colorways on Jordan 1s. That means once a team has a young star they do everything they can to quickly start winning.
What The Playoffs Mean For the New Orleans Pelicans’ Young Stars
With Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson already showing transcendent All-Star talents, New Orleans Pelicans fans should be optimistic that their team will do the same as the other young teams in this playoff have.
We recently wrote about the features that the Pelicans’ young core is missing to contend and the truth is that they aren’t missing much. This team needs a new head coach and some minor improvements to their roster but I think the NBA playoffs should tell fans that the young Pelicans are knocking at the door.
I’m confident in the team’s front office led by vice president David Griffin and I believe that with a few tweaks, 2021 could be the season where the New Orleans Pelicans decide to kick the door in and announce their arrival.
