How Do NBA General Managers Believe New Orleans Pelicans Will Fare in 2024-25 Season?

Do general managers around the NBA believe the New Orleans Pelicans have enough to make the postseason?

Apr 29, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green looks on against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half of game four of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Smoothie King Center. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans are entering Year 4 under head coach Willie Green. In each of his first three seasons, the team has improved their regular season win total.

Will that happen again in the 2024-25 season?

Ownership and the front office certainly hope so after a major addition was made over the summer. Guard Dejounte Murray was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks and on paper, he is a great fit.

His ball-handling and playmaking will help keep the offense on track after they battled bouts of effectiveness, especially late in the games. Continued off-ball growth, especially in 3-point shooting, will be key to unlocking the team’s full potential offensively.

On defense, we should see more of the player from his San Antonio Spurs days than his tenure with the Hawks.

Alas, there are some question marks surrounding the team.

When Trey Murphy is healthy, who will be in the starting lineup? What does Brandon Ingram’s future hold; can they find a trade partner for him? How will minutes at the center position shake out?

Green has some things to figure out, but there is no denying the talent on the roster. If he can find the right combination of players, things should go smoothly on the court.

How do general managers around the league believe he will fare? Good enough that they have predicted the Pelicans will make the postseason in the Western Conference.

While they received only one percent of the overall vote in the annual NBA GM Survey, they did receive 10 percent of the fourth-place votes, which is enough to have them land in the No. 7 spot.

That means falling just short of avoiding the NBA Play-In Tournament in the West, as the final spot was claimed by the Memphis Grizzlies. Right behind them in the standings, landing the last postseason spot is the Golden State Warriors.

Taking home the predicted No. 1 seed in a bit of a landslide is the Oklahoma City Thunder with 35 percent of the vote.

Finding success in the postseason has not been easy for New Orleans. They have won only two games in two appearances under Green, having to navigate though the Play-In Tournament each time.

Advancing to the second round should be the team’s goal, but just qualifying in the Western Conference would be an achievement. Based on the general managers’ predictions, the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings are all going to miss the postseason.