New Orleans Pelicans Restart Preview

New Orleans Pelicans Restart Preview

Rams at 9 p.m.

Today, the new orleans the pelicans begin exhibition play ... as they look to get back into basketball shape before the nba season officially tips off next thursday.

I sat down on zoom with host of the locked on pelicans podcast jake madison to show fans new and old what to look for.

3 i's been nearly four months without the majority of team sports ... and for those looking for something to watch besides marble racing ... the pelicans may be for you.jake madison, locked on pelicans"if yo're just getting into the nba and yo're looking for a team to root for, i do't know if it gets much better than a fully healthy pelicans roster.

This is team that gets up and down the court, runs with the best of them in the league, plays a very fast paced style of ball which is very entertaining to watch.

And you get some legit almost superstar players; and a guy like zion williamson, the most hyped rookie coming into the league since lebron james."

When h's been on the court ... zion has been better than advertised ... and by all accounts ... he uped his game during quarantine."this is a guy who was still able to go to the pelicans facility during the shutdown because h's rehabbing the knee injury that he had that kept him out over half of the season.

He was able to kind of work with team doctors, maybe get a little bit of on court work in there, though he wo't really say.

But he played basketball every single day during the shut down, really working on his shot, working on a lot of the biomechanics that the team wanted him to work on: his running form, things like that that are going to make him a complete nba player."and if zion has combined a more refined technique and better health to go along with his otherworldly athletic ability?

"if his shot just improves slightly, if his ball handling just improves slightly, and those were the two biggest knocks against him during the regular season so far, h's going to be an absolute monster out there."and though the pelicans are currently 3 and a half games from the 8th and final playoff spot ... the'll be facing the same challenges as every other team ... living in a bubble housed in orlando."disney being a good partner with espn has the infrastructure to house this.

Yo've seen all these 22 teams that are going back for the restart staying in these different resorts where the're the only guys that are there.

Each team only has 35 people the've brought, including players.

No one else is really being allowed in besides the workers at the resort there.

So i's about just trying to currate a safe and covid-19 free environment."

But while the playoffs are the goal ... a good showing could mean even better things down the line for a young pelicans squad."certainly the'd like to get in.

But if they can just have a successful 8 game show, some real promise, the're going to feel really good where the're at.

Tha's going to influence decisions the're going to make in this off season.

Do you keep things the same?

Do you mix things up?

So ther's some long term stakes over these 8 games that have long term implications."for news15 sports ... 'm carter simoneaux for the full preview of the new oreleans pelicans with jake madison... you can watch it later today exclusively on our website kadn dot com.

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