New Orleans Pelicans Fans Will Not Be Thrilled With Team’s 2024–25 Projection

The newest batch of 2024-25 NBA regular season predictions are not great for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Apr 16, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans fans react to a play against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half of a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Smoothie King Center. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans have shown signs of improvement every season with Willie Green as head coach of the team. While regular season improvement is nice, ownership would love to see them start to make some noise in the postseason.

The Pelicans have made the field twice in three seasons under Green but have yet to advance beyond the first round. In 2022 they were defeated in six games by the Phoenix Suns and last season were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Having Zion Williamson in the lineup for either series would have certainly helped. Unfortunately, he was sidelined both occasions by injury.

Keeping him healthy when it matters most is the No. 1 priority for the franchise. They will not reach their ceiling if their All-Star forward is not in the lineup.

Looking to improve their chances of advancing in the playoffs, New Orleans made a big move this summer. They acquired guard Dejounte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks.

A two-way dynamo, he is a perfect fit on paper. His ball-handling and playmaking will help elevate the team’s offensive performance, which was stagnant at times down the stretch without a true table-setter.

Defensively, we should see the old version of him from the San Antonio Spurs. In Atlanta, his defensive performance plummeted, but that could be chalked up to a case of the environment he was in and the lack of defensive personnel.

With Murray in the fold, can the Pelicans improve their win total for a fourth time under Green, reaching the 50-win plateau for only the second time in franchise history?

Based on the projections shared by Kevin Pelton of ESPN, don’t count on it.

New Orleans has been projected to finish ninth in the Western Conference with an average win total of 41.6. They are predicted to be barely a .500 team because of their lack of certainty at the center position.

“There's a lot to like about the Pelicans' roster, which is deep on perimeter players after their offseason trade for Dejounte Murray. The issue is at center, and while I've projected plenty of minutes there for Zion Williamson, the Pelicans' other options -- journeyman Daniel Theis, undersized Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, two-way contributor Trey Jemison and rookies Karlo Matkovic and Yves Missi -- are lacking. As a result, New Orleans is predicted for a downturn from last season's 49 wins, albeit with the caveat that they too could easily upgrade midseason,” wrote Pelton.

The Pelicans have to figure out something with the center spot and alleviate their logjam on the wing. Trading Brandon Ingram, even for less than market value, might be the play.

Those are the only two things keeping this team from taking that next step in the Western Conference.