THE NEW ORLEANS PELICANS ARE BEGINNING TO PUT THE LEAGUE ON NOTICE #nba #basketball #pelicans

THE NEW ORLEANS PELICANS ARE BEGINNING TO PUT THE LEAGUE ON NOTICE #nba #basketball #pelicans

What’s up NBA fan what’s up all sports fans this your boy JB host of the behind the bench podcast networking channel just want to give a shout out to the rest of the crew I’m talking about shy Kelvin and Germaine along with Kobe Bryant film room and Big Dog Sports

TV and for everyone who’s tuning in I hope that you support behind the bench become a subscriber and help make the show The Best of the can be and we have reached over 15,000 plus views and now have the support of 1,000 plus subscribers so like I said it’s a winner

Combination and we appreciate you and we going to continue providing that Sports content at the highest level possible now let’s talk some NBA let’s talk some NBA last night’s action Wednesday night we saw two Western Conference FES go at it I’m talking about the New Orleans Pelicans and the Minnesota Timberwolves the

Timberwolves are the top seat in the west as we speak and the New Orleans Pelicans have steadily improved their play and their intensity and their focus ever since losing the n Season tournament to the Los Angeles Lakers but sometimes you can take a setback and turn it into a push for the

Ages to where you start Reaching Your Potential as a squad or I should say the springboard the lightning rod maybe that’s what their loss to the Lakers was because really ever since then they turning up a notch and really prior to losing that inseason tournament game to the

Lakers these are the teams who they beat they beat Minnesota early in the season they beat the Dallas Mavericks they beat the Sacramento Kings twice they beat the defending Champion Denver Nuggets and they beat the Los Angeles Clippers so they’re beat they were beating the top teams in the West

Now they’re taking up another level because they went on the road last night the Pelicans went into Minnesota where they had lost one home game all season and they boast the number one rank defense but it didn’t matter and it sure didn’t look like it as the Pelicans

Beat the timberwoods by the score of 117 106 but the score isn’t a true reflection of how dominant the Pelicans were throughout their game and Brandon inam got things started in the Major Way in the first quarter scoring mid-range jumper after mid-range jumper after the mid-range

Jumper so much so to where if he’s not leading the league in mid-range points he’s in the top three then it seemed like from there Brandon Ingram bi said to his teammate CJ McCullum you got it next you take over and then after that point then they both went to Zion

Williamson and said you finished the deal this team right here pound-for-pound I believe is the deepest team in the league I believe that when you look at this roster from 1 to 10 from 1 to 10 they have all the elements to pursue and VI for a championship and what’s scary is they

Could make a move during the TR trade deadline to state that claim to put themselves in that position now mind you they played last night without their best shooter Trey Murphy and they have another shooter who’s recovering from uh injury and Matt Ryan and they still have Jordan Hawkins rookie Sensation from the

University of Yukon who was the nation’s top three-point shooter when he was drafted entering the league won a national championship by the way but was really turning this team around is not just the exceptional play of Ingram Zion Williamson and C.J McCullum herb Jones played big last night

Too their best defender in the starting five he scored 16 points last night and he hit it he hit his three-point attempts to Corner threes you had one of the best centers in basketball B one of the top six seven centers in yonis valunas but ever since Larry NZ Jr

Returned back from injury I believe he suffered a broken rib early in the season ever since he returned back to the lineup the team’s defense has taken another another step towards dominance then they had the pescan José avado they call Grand Theft Alvarado and then second year defensive Wing Dyson Daniels who

Also can run the point when you look at this team now and then along with a Naji Marshall who who I believe is in his third season he’s in his third season I believe he was drafted from the University of uh Xavier if I’m not mistaken this team has it all and

I’m going to say 60% of possibly no I’m going to say two-thirds of this roster is an extension of that Anthony Davis trade back during the summer 2019 where Brandon Eng was included in that trade and during that off season the New Orleans Pelican was given the number one

Pick where they won the the the top overall pick in that Year’s uh Draft Lottery and they selected Zion Williamson because of the draft picks that were included in the Anthony Davis trade they were able to utilize those draft picks to include in trade packages for CJ McCullum and yonis

Valunas and also they traded down in the draft three summers ago well let’s say we’ll say we’ll say two summers ago doing the 2021 draft and they selected Trey Murphy out of University of of Virginia and during the second season last year he elevated his game to the point where he start

Recording 5 he became a 54090 player 50% shooting from the two Point area 40% shooting a three-point shot and 90% from the free throw line he’s become a 50 4090 player in only his second year then in that same draft where they selected Trey Murphy they was able to

Draft herb Jones in the second round all this is is a direct affiliation with that Anthony Davis trade so when you look at this Pelicans team what they are starting to resemble is what the Los Angeles Lakers could have built a roster of light actually what they had built their roster of

Light by the summer of 2018 this team is as versatile as it comes and the main attribute of this team is the hole is greater than some of his Parts to where when it comes to Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson you really don’t know who’s number one

Guy you really don’t know who’s the number one player on some nights it could be Zion on some nights it could be bi Brandon Ingram then you have CJ McCullum to the mix who can get you 18 20 points game he’s actually he’s really 20 career 20 19

Point per game 1920 Point per game score batun can get you the double doubles but it’s their depth this overwhelming teams and they’re getting better and better and better and as it stands they are now in the fifth place in the Western Conference now Timber was as I said

Before they number one seed in the west and Anthony Edward did score 35 points last night but but it was mainly academic as Minnesota was playing catch up throughout the course of the game and the Pelicans led up in the fourth quarter like I said at one point it was

Up by 24 25 points and with this new offensive uh system that they’re running uh that’s being directed by assistant coach uh uh uh James bgo and Willie Green head head coach Willie Green uh leadership this team has a future that is bright as it comes along with the

Oklahoma City Thunders along with the you know uh Sacramento Kings the Minnesota timber wolves that’s four teams right there um the Dallas Mavericks have uh Luc who is as great as he is right now he still hasn’t reached his Prime and then they have Kyrie Irving on their

Team and they they drafted Derek Lively in the first round of this year and then you have the Clippers who are hot the Clippers red hot they playing great basketball um over the past uh two two and A2 weeks or so so what I’m trying to say is the New Orleans

Pelicans if Zion Williamson could reach his potential down there in New Orleans there’s not a team in the Western Conference that they playing who can match up to try to stop him see if he start playing to his potential then his lights out they can actually VI for the championship this

Year and as I mentioned they can make a move this during the trade dead line and they still have one more drag pick coming from the Anthony Davis trade and see this is the thing when when you hear this lingo out here this prevailing notion that draft picks don’t mean

Anything well take a look at the peling roster take a look at Oklahoma City Thunder roster they drafting they not signing free agents down there in OKC they drafting players but as it stands right now they’re the number two seed the number two seed so like I said Minnesota Tim they

Having a tremendous season best starting franchise history and they ran to a team that I believe is deeper than them I believe is is great as Minnesota’s playing if healthy the Pelicans have the deepest roster I feel the deepest roster in the NBA and it’s starting the show and it’s

Catching a lot of teams off guard and they really don’t know how to game plan against this team so imagine them in a playoff situation where they okay you have one of the top centers in the league you have a premier combo Wing player in Brandon Ingam well the center

J Val Tunis you have a premier combo a wing two guard facilitator in Brandon Ingram who as I mentioned before if he’s not leading the league in mid-range points he’s in the top three that M that mid-range jump that he’s perfecting is getting better and better and better and better and

Better where he he he’s he’s developed he’s developed multiple spots on the court to get that shot off then you have the ultimate inside player outside of Joel enbi but as far as you know a power forward you know Zion Williamson is arguably the most efficient uh score

In the paint throughout the entire league so you you you add that you have three layers of scoring on that team and that’s before you get to the three-point shooting then they have defensive specialist on this team they have multiple facilitators on this team and that’s why I say the whole

Is greater than some of his parts that’s the New Orleans Pelicans but they have Superstars they have guys that can break a defense down they can get high and they can go for 30 35 you know so I love the way they building their team

I’m like I said I’m a fan of all these young teams and and and the veteran teams you know this this steady plugging away at it you know the Milwaukee Bucks you know Yan tin compo he led that team to the title three years ago um first

Time in 50 years since 1971 man he went down in history and see this is what I Envision the NBA to be you know once the uh the decade of the 2020s started to uh move forward I don’t think we’re going to see a team go to four straight

Finals you know make um consecutive final appearances at that level I think it’s going to be a situation where you got the defended Champion Denver Nuggets right now and they have a chance to return back to the finals in repeat cuz they you know they finished the season uh having the best

Player in the league on this roster in Nico yic two-time League MVP but I think there so much talented young squads out there to where they can make an increment change to their roster that can help them overtake a team that broke through the previous year and

Won and I think it’s great for the league I think it’s awesome for the league and um you know this is why I’ve been a stickler versus the super team era because I think what we’re seeing now in the 2020s we could have saw in the previous decade in the 2010s

But once that super team took over the landscape it distorted the league dynamic in so many ways but slowly but surely that influence is is losing ground and is giving way to real basketball again what I mean by real basketball is teams building the right way from scratch where the draft is the

Primary means of which they trying to build a long-standing roster for success but one of the teams that is clearly adapted that model or the Pelicans and they have a great mix of young players coming in veteran young players and then the two oldest players

Are like around that 30 year 31 year old Mark so it’s I’m tell I believe the team is being built perfectly you know to where you know it’s more about they have the talent is more about improving on the nuances of the game that’s where the Pelicans are at and then just getting

That experience going through playoff basketball with a healthy Zion Williamson they haven’t had a healthy Zion Williamson to reach the playoffs you know since he been on the team like I said they did reach the playoffs uh two seasons ago in the first round where Brandon Ingram did lead that team to the

Postseason and he averaged like 276 and six in their series versus Phoenix and he did have four straight games where he scored 30 points and more so he show his game his game is Taylor May for playoff basketball it’s Taylor May for it and that’s why I I believe if if they stay

Healthy they will Peak at the right time and their death will take take over and I believe they had I believe they had the deepest roster in the NBA it’s just a matter of proving who they are now and that’s another small Market team they could be you know one

Of those franchises that wins their first ever NBA World Championship that’s what I see out of this team I believe I believe they’re going to win a championship within the next two seasons I believe they can win a championship and I believe they will break through and win

One or V for one I put it that way because it still has to be proven on the court but I love the way the team is built you know I’m a fan of Brandon Ingram by him being drafted by the Lakers back in 2016 and uh you know if he helped contribute

To uh making history he will go down and such you know how fast the the table turns man just three years ago it seemed like the shortcut route and when now was the correct way to pursue success but in all actuality it’s really a fleety moment in

Time but hey I just wanted to drop that nugget man I’m looking forward to them they they play they play the Clippers next Los Angeles Clippers this Friday that’s going to be a huge game because now you’re talking about fourth place and fifth place at State you know

Between the Clippers and the uh uh pelicans and uh Clippers are peing at the right time and it’s going it’s going to be a battle all the way through from here on out the Western it’s going to be a battle you know what I’m saying

Uh it’s going to get you Prim and get you ready for postseason play and as a matter of fact the Pelicans have I believe the hardest schedule for the month of January and they’ve already start off on the right foot beating number one seed team in the

Western Conference on the road in the Minnesota Timberwood so I believe they ready I believe they ready so uh we’ll see what happens next but I just wanted to uh drop that nugget right there the Pelicans the Pelicans or one of those teams that can be main

Stage uh in the western conference for the next five six years or for years to come and it’s all courtesy of that trade that happened four years ago that was the spring board after losing that Superstar franchise player they say you know what we going to build a team that’s going to

Be deeper than anybody else’s and everything’s working according to plan so until next time I just wanted to drop that nugget I know this was kind of lengthy but I just want you know break things down that’s what I enjoy doing but until next time this is JB for btb behind the bench

The New Orleans Pelicans go on the road and defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves by the score of 117-106 as they rise up in the Western Conference standings