The New Orleans Pelicans Futures Odds (BetDSI Sportsbook)
New Orleans Pelicans to win the Southwest Division: +1400
New Orleans Pelicans to win the Western Conference: +7500
New Orleans Pelicans to win the NBA Championship: +12500
New Orleans Pelicans Season Total Win Prediction: Total 40.5 (Over -115, Under -115)
The New Orleans Pelicans finished the previous season in the 10th position in the West as they recorded 34 wins, seven fewer than the Portland Trail Blazers who were the last team to enter the playoffs. DeMarcus Cousins’ arrival to The Big Easy and his partnership with Anthony Davis began to work out a bit late for the Pelicans, but now they have a full season to play with each other, so the opposing teams should be aware of the best frontcourt in the NBA.
It’s going to be hard to win the Southwest Division against strong Houston and San Antonio, but the teams like the Clippers, Jazz, Blazers, and Grizzlies are now weaker than in 2016/17, so the Pelicans have a fantastic chance to qualify for the playoffs. They managed to keep Jrue Holiday and added Rajon Rondo, and in combination with Davis and Cousins, this squad has a lot of potential to make an upset in the Western Conference.
Furthermore, New Orleans hasn’t lost any of their key players, so the Pelicans’ fans can be enthusiastic about the upcoming campaign as their team has a solid chance of making the postseason. Everyone expects big things from this generation of players, and the time has come for the Pelicans to become a real force in the West.
Read on to find out more about the New Orleans Pelicans offseason moves and the 2017/2018 futures and props brought to you by BetDSI Sportsbook. Also, don’t forget to visit our Get More Sports website for more NBA teams season previews.
The 2017/2018 New Orleans Pelicans Roster
Arrivals: Charles Cooke, Frank Jackson, Jalen Jones, Darius Miller, Rajon Rondo.
Departures: Dante Cunningham, Donatas Motiejunas.
The New Orleans Pelicans had two second round picks in the 2017 NBA Draft – Dwayne Bacon and Edmond Sumner. Bacon was selected as the 40th pick overall but was traded to the Charlotte Hornets on a draft night, and the shooting guard signed a contract with them. Sumner was the 52nd pick overall and was sent to the Indiana Pacers for cash considerations. Charles Cooke was undrafted and played in the 2017 NBA Summer League for the Minnesota Timberwolves, but in August, he signed a two-way contract with the Pelicans and will split playing time between New Orleans and the NBA G-League affiliate.
Frank Jackson joined the Pelicans in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets who selected him with the 31st pick overall. The 19-year-old point guard who spent the 2016/17 with the Duke Blue Devils won a few awards during his college days including the McDonald’s All-American, Utah Mr. Basketball, Jordan Brand Classic, and was also the McDonald’s All-American Game Slam Dunk champion. Jackson will serve as a backup to Rajon Rondo, who will be a great mentor to the youngster. Jalen Jones was undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft, and the previous season he represented the Maine Red Claws in the D-League, earning several honors including NBA D-League All-Rookie Team, All-NBA D-League Third Team, and NBA D-League All-Star. The small forward signed a two-way contract with New Orleans, and he will spend 2017/18 with the G-League affiliate.
Darius Miller returned to the pelicans, where he spent three seasons between 2012 and 2015, before heading to Europe and the German team Brose Bamberg. While at Bamberg, Miller displayed impressive performances and won the German Championship twice (2015 and 2016), was the BBL Finals MVP in 2016, and was selected to the All-BBL First Team in 2017. The small forward didn’t experience the best of time in his first stint with the Pelicans, but now he has a chance to make a better impression. However, it is questionable how much playing time he’ll get as he is listed as the No. 4 option at SF position behind E’Twaun Moore, Solomon Hill, and Quincy Pondexter.
The most significant addition for the Pelicans this offseason is without a doubt Rajon Rondo, who joined after a problematic season with the Chicago Bulls, where he had issues with Fred Hoiberg, and received restricted playing time. Now, he has an opportunity to return to his best, and the four-time All-Star has excellent players around him who can only be better with Rondo in on the floor. The 31-year-old point guard still has a few good years ahead of him, and the former Boston Celtic can certainly represent a big reinforcement for the Pelicans. Rondo averaged 7.8 ppg, 6.7 apg, 5.1 rpg, and 1.4 spg in 26.7 mpg for the Bulls in 2016/17, but I am convinced his numbers will improve this time around. He will be the starting point guard in The Big Easy, while Jrue Holiday will be shifted to the shooting guard position, and this backcourt is capable of doing great things with Cousins and Davis below the rims.
| PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
| Rajon Rondo | Jrue Holiday | E’Twaun Moore | Anthony Davis | DeMarcus Cousins |
| Frank Jackson | Ian Clarke | Solomon Hill | Cheick Diallo | Alexis Ajinca |
| Jordan Crawford | Quincy Pondexter | Omer Asik | ||
Dante Cunningham left New Orleans after three years as he decided to decline the player option and stay with the Pelicans. The 30-year-old power forward has been a solid servant for the club in 2016/17, averaging 6.6 ppg and 4.5 rpg in 25.0 mpg, and now he’s testing the free agency and is looking for a new team. Another power forward who moved away from New Orleans is the Lithuanian international Donatas Motiejunas. He appeared in only 34 games for the Pelicans in 2016/17, averaging 4.4 ppg and 3.0 rpg in 14.1 mpg, so his departure is not going to hit the Pelicans hard, as they can surely live without him. This August, Motiejunas signed a one-year, $2.2 million contract with the Chinese side, the Shandong Golden Stars.
So, the Pelicans lost fringe players but managed to add more quality and experience and what’s more important, they’ve kept Jrue Holiday for another year. Holiday will play his fifth season with the Pelicans and in the previous one, he averaged 15.4 ppg, 7.3 apg, 3.9 rpg, and 1.5 spg in 32.7 mpg. Although he will switch the point guard position for the shooting guard spot, as a result of Rajon Rondo’s arrival, Holiday is expected to have another solid campaign. The 27-year-old can be used more in the offense as Rondo will serve as the playmaker, and the UCLA product could score more points with Rajon playing beside him.
The Pelicans’ starting lineup with Rondo, Holiday, Moore, Davis, and Cousins can do a lot of good things in the West, and I think they should enter the playoffs without a problem, barring any injuries, of course. Davis and Cousins had enough time to learn to play together, and no other team in the NBA has such a dominant pair of big guys under the rims, so the rivals should be scared of them. The duo averaged 55 ppg, 22.8 rpg, 6.7 apg, 3.5 bpg, and 2.7 spg, and I don’t see any reason why they shouldn’t replicate these numbers in 2017/18.
The Bottom Line and Total Win Prediction
I don’t think the Pelicans can finish in the first two positions in the Southwest Division, but they do have a better team than Memphis and Dallas and are looking stronger than in 2016/17, so the playoffs should be a realistic target. However, if some of the two big guys suffer an injury during the season, it will be extremely hard for the Pelicans to compete with other teams in the West, so it’s crucial for Davis and Cousins to stay healthy, but it doesn’t depend on them. All in all, I expect a big year from both, but also from the backcourt duo Rondo and Holiday, and although the Pelicans don’t have a strong second unit, these four individuals should be more than enough to carry the team forward and secure the postseason. They recorded 34 victories in 2016/17, and now the bookies predict that they will win a few more matches, as the BetDSI Sportsbook set the number of season wins at 40.5. I believe the Pelicans are good enough to win at least 41 games, and in my opinion, they should end the season with around 45 wins, so my advice is to take this opportunity and opt for over.
Season total wins: Over 40.5 wins (-115)
