Post-Mortem: 2021-22 New Orleans Pelicans

[slicedbread2]

1) You found a gold mine in Willie Green. This dude has the team hustling their butts out there. Truly wonderful to see him shed some tears in rejoicing with Monty Williams after a tough 6 game series. When you got an entire team buying in, let him run the team and work with him in getting players that'll suit his system.

2) David Griffin was on the fences considering how bad things were going with Zion's inability to stay healthy+the horrible start. Getting C.J.+the Lakers faltering badly saved them in terms of getting into the play in. Nailing the Herb Jones pick with the 2nd from Cleveland via the 2019 draft night was a huge success and Trey Murphy III looks like he could be a keeper too.

3) You could say worse than expected because after Zion's emergence in his 2nd year and the potential he showed, I honestly thought they'd do better. Sadly his foot injuries kept coming back and ultimately it was a miracle that the Pelicans got into the play in largely due to Willie Green getting the young guys+role players buying in not to mention getting C.J. to help shoulder the burden Ingram had to endure when he was getting double teamed.

4) Rising. You got a great thing going here and they should try and get Ingram to be the pg of the lineup considering he's been a better playmaker out there. I'd honestly experiment with having Murphy III, Jones, Zion if healthy and say Nance Jr./any big out there considering Ingram's developmental curve+he's gonna turn 25 in September and this playoff run will only help make him better+it'll help motivate the young guys in improving their games.

They have the 8th pick this year+they have the opportunity to swap 1sts with the Lakers next year and the Lakers 24 1st(can opt to take the 25 1st instead). I'd honestly not mess with it.

As for extensions I'd wait and see how everybody plays. Zion needs to show he can stay on the court and even if you don't give him an extension, he's an RFA along with Hayes who looks like he could be a 20min rotation piece and I need to see more development out of Hayes on and off the court before extending him. Zion has the potential to be a face of the franchise type of player, but he needs to get into shape, develop a consistent 15ft jump shot, a league average 3pter and improve his FT shooting. The cautionary tale for Zion should be Blake Griffin where by the time he developed a jumper, it was too late as his body had taken a beating.

Honestly the Pelicans are in a great situation and have a lot to look forward to going forward.

[Harry Garris]

It's definitely a successful season for them considering they didn't have Zion. This offseason is going to be interesting. I could see any outcome from them giving Zion a max extension to trading him.

As dumb as it usually is to trade a guy that talented early in his career, he is a really poor fit alongside Ingram and if the injuries continue it could submarine the franchise for a few years. I don't know what I would do if I was David Griffin.

The fit is literally not poor come on man. Zion is a pretty portable player anyway, don't know why people stick with this narrative

The reason why I said it was a poor fit is because both of them are better when they have the ball. Although Zion does provide some offensive value without the ball in his hands because of the offensive rebounding.

[lordjeff05]

It's definitely a successful season for them considering they didn't have Zion. This offseason is going to be interesting. I could see any outcome from them giving Zion a max extension to trading him.

As dumb as it usually is to trade a guy that talented early in his career, he is a really poor fit alongside Ingram and if the injuries continue it could submarine the franchise for a few years. I don't know what I would do if I was David Griffin.

The fit is literally not poor come on man. Zion is a pretty portable player anyway, don't know why people stick with this narrative

Yup lets be real now, its really hard for two players to be a poor fit as long as they dont play the same position (strict 5 or strict PG). At worst they're just neutral and its the your turn my turn kind of offense. Which is a perfectly fine offense when youre doing that with 2 players. Even if both guys are horrible defensive players, you can find 3 defensive guys to put around them (especially if netter guy is a strict 5) and you can hide them pretty well. So again the whole BI/Zion not being a good fit thing has always been overblown and Ive been saying that from day 1.

Now I am one that believes you can be fine with 2 guys no matter what really, finding a 3rd guy that fits with both of them is the harder thing to do. I also think there is another thing to consider when looking at BI and Zion. The Pels focus should be getting the ball more and more in their hands.

Guess what became pretty clear the 2nd half of last year with Zion. The more they put the ball in his hands the better he got. Guess what also became pretty dang clear this year with BI. After about 15 games into the season they gave up with a normal offense and basically just handed the offense to BI. They were an above .500 team ever since then. It also was clear that even in the playoffs the offense ran better with the ball in BI's hands compared to CJ's.

So the Pels should be really focusing on building a team around the idea of those two guys being by far the two ball dominant players. Again I think you can easily have a good offense built around 2 guys being the primary guys. The issue is finding that 3rd guy that can fit in with that. Now I personally dont think CJ is that guy going forward. CJ likes to dribble and likes to create all of his shots (only 25% of his shots have been assisted on in his career). So I think him being 3rd wheel with the other two will most likely be a problem. There is enough possessions and enough shots for 2 guys to do the "your turn, my turn" thing. Cant do it with 3 guys. So I personally think either CJ accepts the 6th man role, or there is going to be some clunky offense next year (not to mention the no defense CJ brings) with most games at least 1 of the 3 guys not being able to get into rhythm.

CJ took more shots, had more touches and had the ball in his hands more than BI in these playoffs. I think it will be a massive mistake for BI to be 3rd fiddle behind Zion and CJ next year. If CJ is cool being the 6th man and primarily being out there while one of BI or Zion is sitting, then I think that can work. But if not, I think a lineup with all 3 out there at once can be pretty clunky.

This will probably be a disagreement for the whole summer prior to the start of the season but I just think CJ, given his time in the league and where he is at in his career is going to be willing to change up his game to fit the needs of BI and Z. He's going to take fewer shots, prioritize the catch and shoot game and the JJ Redick handoff actions and be what the Pels need him to be. In return I bet they let him bring up the ball and set the table before turning it over to BI and Z to really initiate.

[Duke4life831]

The fit is literally not poor come on man. Zion is a pretty portable player anyway, don't know why people stick with this narrative

Yup lets be real now, its really hard for two players to be a poor fit as long as they dont play the same position (strict 5 or strict PG). At worst they're just neutral and its the your turn my turn kind of offense. Which is a perfectly fine offense when youre doing that with 2 players. Even if both guys are horrible defensive players, you can find 3 defensive guys to put around them (especially if netter guy is a strict 5) and you can hide them pretty well. So again the whole BI/Zion not being a good fit thing has always been overblown and Ive been saying that from day 1.

Now I am one that believes you can be fine with 2 guys no matter what really, finding a 3rd guy that fits with both of them is the harder thing to do. I also think there is another thing to consider when looking at BI and Zion. The Pels focus should be getting the ball more and more in their hands.

Guess what became pretty clear the 2nd half of last year with Zion. The more they put the ball in his hands the better he got. Guess what also became pretty dang clear this year with BI. After about 15 games into the season they gave up with a normal offense and basically just handed the offense to BI. They were an above .500 team ever since then. It also was clear that even in the playoffs the offense ran better with the ball in BI's hands compared to CJ's.

So the Pels should be really focusing on building a team around the idea of those two guys being by far the two ball dominant players. Again I think you can easily have a good offense built around 2 guys being the primary guys. The issue is finding that 3rd guy that can fit in with that. Now I personally dont think CJ is that guy going forward. CJ likes to dribble and likes to create all of his shots (only 25% of his shots have been assisted on in his career). So I think him being 3rd wheel with the other two will most likely be a problem. There is enough possessions and enough shots for 2 guys to do the "your turn, my turn" thing. Cant do it with 3 guys. So I personally think either CJ accepts the 6th man role, or there is going to be some clunky offense next year (not to mention the no defense CJ brings) with most games at least 1 of the 3 guys not being able to get into rhythm.

CJ took more shots, had more touches and had the ball in his hands more than BI in these playoffs. I think it will be a massive mistake for BI to be 3rd fiddle behind Zion and CJ next year. If CJ is cool being the 6th man and primarily being out there while one of BI or Zion is sitting, then I think that can work. But if not, I think a lineup with all 3 out there at once can be pretty clunky.

This will probably be a disagreement for the whole summer prior to the start of the season but I just think CJ, given his time in the league and where he is at in his career is going to be willing to change up his game to fit the needs of BI and Z. He's going to take fewer shots, prioritize the catch and shoot game and the JJ Redick handoff actions and be what the Pels need him to be. In return I bet they let him bring up the ball and set the table before turning it over to BI and Z to really initiate.

I personally just dont think that is his game. Again his career shots assisted on paint not just a guy who likes to score with the ball in his hands, but a extremely ball dominant scorer. Then also taking into account the role he took once he got to the Pels this year, again led the team in shots, touches, and time per possession in both the regular season and playoffs. So he came into the team with the idea of being the #1 option. And again if the idea is to turn him into a 3rd option guy who is more along the lines of an off ball catch and shoot guy. I think it would be better off just trading to get a guy who is already good in that aspect. Instead of hoping CJ can drastically change the player he has been his entire career. Just in that role, I would just prefer a guy who is already much further along in that skill set and maybe at minimum brings a neutral impact on the defensive end, not a bad one.

I hope it works out, because Ive been a daily Pels fan viewer the last 3 years and Im rooting for them. But just basing off of how CJ played once he got to the Pels and his entire body of work for his skill set. I don't really see someone who will make a good 3rd option on a team. I think the more likely scenario is 3 guys will be fighting over the ball.

[tamaraw08]

Don't get me wrong, CJ McCollum, not being able to shoot well was the main reason they failed to beat the Suns. Having said that, I have to give full credit to the Suns vaunted defense, having very good defenders like CP3, Bridges, Crowder etc who made a living hell for CJ for this series.
1. I think it's a risky proposition to assume that Zion would be back and play majority of the games in the future and suggesting that CJ be the 3rd option may not a great idea.
2. Yes CJ was taking a lot of attempts but it's not like Ingram was getting a lot less touches and shots bec of this. Last 3 seasons, Ingram has been taking 18 shots/game so even before McCollum, he's been taking the same number of attempts. Brandon has been really improving esp his efficiency and ideally, I would want him to take 22-25 shots/game but I don't think his mind and body can sustain that.
3. For the regular season, CJ was a +3.1 on the court and the team was a -2.3 without him. He along with BI was a +5.8 on 2 man combo and a +7.3 if you add Herb Jones,+7.9 if you add JV.
4. For the season CJ ave 24.2 pts on 19.2 attempts at 39% from 3, 21.9 PER, 58%TS%.
5. Some might say, well he's a bad playoff performer. Well He has a career 37.7% from 3pt area, 20.2pts at 52.6% TS% for 2232 total minutes.
6. I am not saying he is a great player who will lead this team to a championship, but this guy is a better alternative than other players. Hopefully the young players develop fast enough that they don't need to rely heavily on him.

[NO-KG-AI]

People want us to trade Zion, but also think Lonzo Ball should have been who we built around, and think Brandon Ingram is the 3rd best player on the roster(maybe 4th if you include Zion).

It’s strange how Ingram isn’t looked at as a potential superstar, but realgmers think we should trade Zion for whatever, and hope we win A title with a non top 30 player on the roster?

This pursuit of absolute perfect fits at every position is fantasyland. We finally have a guard that can create for himself and others, and shoot off the catch, our two stars are point forwards as is. CJ is a great talent and great fit IMO. He can finally focus on not guarding 6’5+ guys, and play like when we first acquired him, more as a scoring PG than a volume scorer. He looks good picking his spots and playing off another big talent.

I think there is a lot of overthinking here. Jonas, Nance, and Hayes have proven then can play valuable minutes up front, even next to other bigs. Zion thrived next to an offensive non factor in Adams just on his screen settingn alone. The front court is set, and versatile/bruising. Mixing Herb and Trey into that makes it even better. I love our mix up front. If we had a shot blocking, switchy unicorn up front, thst would be perfect, but I love this mix. You can go big and bruising, and you can go small and quick without giving up meat on the glass. I’m excited about this aspect of our roster.

We’re finally flush with wing talent. Ingram/Jones/Murphy can all score from multiple levels, attack in transition, and switch to defend multiple spots. I think Herb is the most disruptive wing defender in the league already, and body strength and experience is only going to make him even better as a man to man defender. Murphy is already a big time, big game shooter with length to defend all over

Guards are our weakness, but CJ is a borderline all star and savvy vet. Alvarado is exactly the kind of bench PG everyone needs. Hard nosed, hustling defense, protective with the ball, and should round out into a solid shooter. Graham has talent as a pick and roll scorer and microwave shooter. If he can be moved for something better, he’s the odd man out. I can easily see him catching fire when the roster is healthy and adding to his value though for a trade.

Hopefully the 8th pick is used for a bigger guard who can create. This draft seems light on PG talent, but I think our stars are set, and we have guys that fill most roles, so overall talent and BPA is the way to go, but we could always use more shooting talent.

I think the team needs to groom other guys to replace CJ, and that answer at guard is probably not on the roster right now, but CJ/Alvarado as the main 2 guys in the backcourt next to Ingram/Murphy/Herb is plenty talent and a good enough fit.

Oh, and we have a lot of draft capital left

[Alonzo_Morning]

People want us to trade Zion, but also think Lonzo Ball should have been who we built around, and think Brandon Ingram is the 3rd best player on the roster(maybe 4th if you include Zion).

It’s strange how Ingram isn’t looked at as a potential superstar, but realgmers think we should trade Zion for whatever, and hope we win A title with a non top 30 player on the roster?

This pursuit of absolute perfect fits at every position is fantasyland. We finally have a guard that can create for himself and others, and shoot off the catch, our two stars are point forwards as is. CJ is a great talent and great fit IMO. He can finally focus on not guarding 6’5+ guys, and play like when we first acquired him, more as a scoring PG than a volume scorer. He looks good picking his spots and playing off another big talent.

I think there is a lot of overthinking here. Jonas, Nance, and Hayes have proven then can play valuable minutes up front, even next to other bigs. Zion thrived next to an offensive non factor in Adams just on his screen settingn alone. The front court is set, and versatile/bruising. Mixing Herb and Trey into that makes it even better. I love our mix up front. If we had a shot blocking, switchy unicorn up front, thst would be perfect, but I love this mix. You can go big and bruising, and you can go small and quick without giving up meat on the glass. I’m excited about this aspect of our roster.

We’re finally flush with wing talent. Ingram/Jones/Murphy can all score from multiple levels, attack in transition, and switch to defend multiple spots. I think Herb is the most disruptive wing defender in the league already, and body strength and experience is only going to make him even better as a man to man defender. Murphy is already a big time, big game shooter with length to defend all over

Guards are our weakness, but CJ is a borderline all star and savvy vet. Alvarado is exactly the kind of bench PG everyone needs. Hard nosed, hustling defense, protective with the ball, and should round out into a solid shooter. Graham has talent as a pick and roll scorer and microwave shooter. If he can be moved for something better, he’s the odd man out. I can easily see him catching fire when the roster is healthy and adding to his value though for a trade.

Hopefully the 8th pick is used for a bigger guard who can create. This draft seems light on PG talent, but I think our stars are set, and we have guys that fill most roles, so overall talent and BPA is the way to go, but we could always use more shooting talent.

I think the team needs to groom other guys to replace CJ, and that answer at guard is probably not on the roster right now, but CJ/Alvarado as the main 2 guys in the backcourt next to Ingram/Murphy/Herb is plenty talent and a good enough fit.

Oh, and we have a lot of draft capital left

My eye test tells me that Murphy is a pretty bad defender at this point and seems to be living off of the 'he has length' facet, am I being deceived?

[Raps in 4]

If Zion ever comes back in shape, they are contenders.

[NO-KG-AI]

People want us to trade Zion, but also think Lonzo Ball should have been who we built around, and think Brandon Ingram is the 3rd best player on the roster(maybe 4th if you include Zion).

It’s strange how Ingram isn’t looked at as a potential superstar, but realgmers think we should trade Zion for whatever, and hope we win A title with a non top 30 player on the roster?

This pursuit of absolute perfect fits at every position is fantasyland. We finally have a guard that can create for himself and others, and shoot off the catch, our two stars are point forwards as is. CJ is a great talent and great fit IMO. He can finally focus on not guarding 6’5+ guys, and play like when we first acquired him, more as a scoring PG than a volume scorer. He looks good picking his spots and playing off another big talent.

I think there is a lot of overthinking here. Jonas, Nance, and Hayes have proven then can play valuable minutes up front, even next to other bigs. Zion thrived next to an offensive non factor in Adams just on his screen settingn alone. The front court is set, and versatile/bruising. Mixing Herb and Trey into that makes it even better. I love our mix up front. If we had a shot blocking, switchy unicorn up front, thst would be perfect, but I love this mix. You can go big and bruising, and you can go small and quick without giving up meat on the glass. I’m excited about this aspect of our roster.

We’re finally flush with wing talent. Ingram/Jones/Murphy can all score from multiple levels, attack in transition, and switch to defend multiple spots. I think Herb is the most disruptive wing defender in the league already, and body strength and experience is only going to make him even better as a man to man defender. Murphy is already a big time, big game shooter with length to defend all over

Guards are our weakness, but CJ is a borderline all star and savvy vet. Alvarado is exactly the kind of bench PG everyone needs. Hard nosed, hustling defense, protective with the ball, and should round out into a solid shooter. Graham has talent as a pick and roll scorer and microwave shooter. If he can be moved for something better, he’s the odd man out. I can easily see him catching fire when the roster is healthy and adding to his value though for a trade.

Hopefully the 8th pick is used for a bigger guard who can create. This draft seems light on PG talent, but I think our stars are set, and we have guys that fill most roles, so overall talent and BPA is the way to go, but we could always use more shooting talent.

I think the team needs to groom other guys to replace CJ, and that answer at guard is probably not on the roster right now, but CJ/Alvarado as the main 2 guys in the backcourt next to Ingram/Murphy/Herb is plenty talent and a good enough fit.

Oh, and we have a lot of draft capital left

My eye test tells me that Murphy is a pretty bad defender at this point and seems to be living off of the 'he has length' facet, am I being deceived?

He’s got length, mobility, and he’s willing and energetic. He’s got a lot to learn on the IQ side, but he’llbe just fine I bet. I think right now it’s natural to compare it to Herb, which is not fair lol.

[Godymas]

I'm calling it now

next season 50+ wins

2x All Stars

1x All NBA (Zion)

CJ McCollum Teammate of the Year

[Whole Truth]

Watch on YouTube

[TheLand13]

It's definitely a successful season for them considering they didn't have Zion. This offseason is going to be interesting. I could see any outcome from them giving Zion a max extension to trading him.

As dumb as it usually is to trade a guy that talented early in his career, he is a really poor fit alongside Ingram and if the injuries continue it could submarine the franchise for a few years. I don't know what I would do if I was David Griffin.

The fit is literally not poor come on man. Zion is a pretty portable player anyway, don't know why people stick with this narrative

Ingram is about as perfect of a second option for Zion as you can get. Highly confident shooter not afraid of the moment capable of creating his own shot, but has no problem deferring. This team is Zion being healthy away from competing.

[NO-KG-AI]

It's definitely a successful season for them considering they didn't have Zion. This offseason is going to be interesting. I could see any outcome from them giving Zion a max extension to trading him.

As dumb as it usually is to trade a guy that talented early in his career, he is a really poor fit alongside Ingram and if the injuries continue it could submarine the franchise for a few years. I don't know what I would do if I was David Griffin.

The fit is literally not poor come on man. Zion is a pretty portable player anyway, don't know why people stick with this narrative

Ingram is about as perfect of a second option for Zion as you can get. Highly confident shooter not afraid of the moment capable of creating his own shot, but has no problem deferring. This team is Zion being healthy away from competing.

Every good player wants and needs the ball. Even LeBron teams end up losing when he's the only capable ball handler, and he's probably the best ever at having the ball all game long.

If Zion and Ingram can't figure out a way to contribute next to one another, they aren't as good as they need to be. There is almost 0 overlap in the spots they occupy or the role they could and should play.

[TheLand13]

The fit is literally not poor come on man. Zion is a pretty portable player anyway, don't know why people stick with this narrative

Ingram is about as perfect of a second option for Zion as you can get. Highly confident shooter not afraid of the moment capable of creating his own shot, but has no problem deferring. This team is Zion being healthy away from competing.

Every good player wants and needs the ball. Even LeBron teams end up losing when he's the only capable ball handler, and he's probably the best ever at having the ball all game long.

If Zion and Ingram can't figure out a way to contribute next to one another, they aren't as good as they need to be. There is almost 0 overlap in the spots they occupy or the role they could and should play.

…Zion averaged 27 PPG while Ingram averaged 24 in the season they played together. Your claim that they can’t contribute next to each other is not only wrong but the numbers show the exact opposite.

[NO-KG-AI]

Ingram is about as perfect of a second option for Zion as you can get. Highly confident shooter not afraid of the moment capable of creating his own shot, but has no problem deferring. This team is Zion being healthy away from competing.

Every good player wants and needs the ball. Even LeBron teams end up losing when he's the only capable ball handler, and he's probably the best ever at having the ball all game long.

If Zion and Ingram can't figure out a way to contribute next to one another, they aren't as good as they need to be. There is almost 0 overlap in the spots they occupy or the role they could and should play.

…Zion averaged 27 PPG while Ingram averaged 24 in the season they played together. Your claim that they can’t contribute next to each other is not only wrong but the numbers show the exact opposite.

Uh. I think they are a fantastic fit next to each other. I honestly thought they could flow next to even another creator, which is why I was one of the few that was always down to move on from Lonzo and his inability to create in the half court.

[sleepingbunch]

Wait....so who are these 3 people who voted to fire Willie Green? Lol

[sleepingbunch]

This is a fun team to watch.....most likely the most enjoyable Pels team to watch ever. For a team that has been bashed time and time again as a poverty franchise, having a team full of players that act as that they want to be there is HUGE for New Orleans.

Us Pels fans have a little PTSD with memories of Anthony Davis/eric bledsoe/eric gordon/aminu/kaman/tyreke evans - many unhappy Pels in the past gave half-ass efforts and coexisted with the team with very negative body language. Willie Green has built great chemistry in the locker room. CJ and Nance have been huge pickups, not just for their play but also for locker room culture/leadership.

I do question how Zion's addition affects team chemistry, yet his talent is undeniable. The best thing about this years squad, again, is that the whole team expressed in many ways that they "wanted" to be there. Hell, even Josh Hart and NAW showed up to watch games after they were traded to Portland.

The two things that the Pelicans need to take the next step forward are....
1) Zion plays regularly, gets in shape, gets along with the team and builds chemistry with BI, CJ, Val, Herb
2) The team picks up another 3 and D role player (highest priority on 3 point shooting - the team's biggest weakness) - likely a big guard or wing....or Trey Murphy develops into this. Graham/Alvarado being the 2 guards off the bench wasn't great. Keep Jose, get what you can for DG and find a big guard that can light it up.

Also, CJ and BI have been living in the midrange. With the addition of Zion, I question whether there will be spacing issues. We had Jose and Herb shooting 3's in crunch time during the suns series - and while they can hit those shots once in a while, it would be nice if there was someone else in that role.

Most Pels fans are likely on the fence with Griffin. Kind of a 50/50 mix of great deals and pickups and completely boneheaded decisions. Best thing he did was fire SVG after one season and replace him with Willie - if there was an award for "Best Coaching Upgrade" - we would take it for sure lol.

[BuddyBuckets]

This is a fun team to watch.....most likely the most enjoyable Pels team to watch ever. For a team that has been bashed time and time again as a poverty franchise, having a team full of players that act as that they want to be there is HUGE for New Orleans.

Us Pels fans have a little PTSD with memories of Anthony Davis/eric bledsoe/eric gordon/aminu/kaman/tyreke evans - many unhappy Pels in the past gave half-ass efforts and coexisted with the team with very negative body language. Willie Green has built great chemistry in the locker room. CJ and Nance have been huge pickups, not just for their play but also for locker room culture/leadership.

I do question how Zion's addition affects team chemistry, yet his talent is undeniable. The best thing about this years squad, again, is that the whole team expressed in many ways that they "wanted" to be there. Hell, even Josh Hart and NAW showed up to watch games after they were traded to Portland.

The two things that the Pelicans need to take the next step forward are....
1) Zion plays regularly, gets in shape, gets along with the team and builds chemistry with BI, CJ, Val, Herb
2) The team picks up another 3 and D role player (highest priority on 3 point shooting - the team's biggest weakness) - likely a big guard or wing....or Trey Murphy develops into this. Graham/Alvarado being the 2 guards off the bench wasn't great. Keep Jose, get what you can for DG and find a big guard that can light it up.

Also, CJ and BI have been living in the midrange. With the addition of Zion, I question whether there will be spacing issues. We had Jose and Herb shooting 3's in crunch time during the suns series - and while they can hit those shots once in a while, it would be nice if there was someone else in that role.

Most Pels fans are likely on the fence with Griffin. Kind of a 50/50 mix of great deals and pickups and completely boneheaded decisions. Best thing he did was fire SVG after one season and replace him with Willie - if there was an award for "Best Coaching Upgrade" - we would take it for sure lol.

Here's hoping CJ does more off-ball/spot up next year to conserve his energy and body and plays the '3rd wheel' He'll still get his. I'm quietly optimistic after seeing Zion's media day interview they'll be able to figure out their roles and where/when their points will come to them.

[Slim Charless]

The fit is literally not poor come on man. Zion is a pretty portable player anyway, don't know why people stick with this narrative

Ingram is about as perfect of a second option for Zion as you can get. Highly confident shooter not afraid of the moment capable of creating his own shot, but has no problem deferring. This team is Zion being healthy away from competing.

Every good player wants and needs the ball. Even LeBron teams end up losing when he's the only capable ball handler, and he's probably the best ever at having the ball all game long.

If Zion and Ingram can't figure out a way to contribute next to one another, they aren't as good as they need to be. There is almost 0 overlap in the spots they occupy or the role they could and should play.

If the Knicks get a top 3 pick, I'd think about moving Zion along with Graham's crappy deal to them for that pick. Someone like Chet would give this team a great defensive anchor who can move-unlike Val. It also allows them to keep the identical same offense w/o having to change everything when Zion gets back and lastly will save money when it comes time for Val's new deal.

Maybe Zion +Graham for (Chet)+Obi?

[NO-KG-AI]

Ingram is about as perfect of a second option for Zion as you can get. Highly confident shooter not afraid of the moment capable of creating his own shot, but has no problem deferring. This team is Zion being healthy away from competing.

Every good player wants and needs the ball. Even LeBron teams end up losing when he's the only capable ball handler, and he's probably the best ever at having the ball all game long.

If Zion and Ingram can't figure out a way to contribute next to one another, they aren't as good as they need to be. There is almost 0 overlap in the spots they occupy or the role they could and should play.

If the Knicks get a top 3 pick, I'd think about moving Zion along with Graham's crappy deal to them for that pick. Someone like Chet would give this team a great defensive anchor who can move-unlike Val. It also allows them to keep the identical same offense w/o having to change everything when Zion gets back and lastly will save money when it comes time for Val's new deal.

Maybe Zion +Graham for (Chet)+Obi?

Lmaoooo