The New Orleans Pelicans‘ regular season starts almost a month from now. The team begins training camp less than two weeks before officially hosting its first preseason game on October 7. To add more excitement for fans, a reported leak of the team’s city edition uniforms leaked online this week.
The uniform is simple in design, with NOLA prominently draped across the front. This represents a different look than last year’s uniform, which showcased the words Crescent City on the front of the jersey. Purple was the revealing jersey color leak, illustrating the city’s Mardi Gras roots. Still, alternate jersey colors are expected, similar to the team’s unique ‘Skelican’ jerseys worn during the NBA In-Season Tournament and beyond.
New Orleans hopes jerseys are among many things that excite fans this year. The team will field a talented group that will attempt to compete in the stacked Western Conference. Dejounte Murray was the prized offseason acquisition this summer after executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin vowed this would not be an offseason of ‘complacency.’
The Pelicans traded away Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance, Jr., E.J. Liddell, Cody Zeller, and two first-round picks for the former All-Star guard. New Orleans values Murray’s playmaking ability and performance in clutch situations. Last season, New Orleans went a dreadful 0-23 in games in which they trailed after the third quarter. Meanwhile, Murray had the third-highest scoring average in clutch situations among players who played in at least 40 clutch games.
His playmaking skills will be necessary, especially if the team moves on from Brandon Ingram. The former No. 2 overall pick remains on the roster for now, but expectations are the former all-star forward will be traded this season. He and his camp sought a maximum contract extension in the neighborhood of $45-$50 million annually, but the Pelicans quickly rejected that. Ingram will play this season in the final year of his current contract.
Any deal involving the scoring forward must include some frontcourt help. In addition to the big men who traded away in the Murray deal, the Pelicans also dealt starting center Jonas Valanciunas with the Washington Wizards. Valanciunas started all 82 games for New Orleans last season. This upcoming year will change how the team plays, taking a small-ball approach to games. Time will tell how successful the team will be until it can get some legitimate size in the interior.
Coming off a 49-win season, the Pelicans have plenty of expectations this year, especially after acquiring talent like Murray. The regular season starts on October 23rd at home against the Chicago Bulls.
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