LATEST NEWS:Pelicans Get Ready for a Hard-Round with the Spurs Winmbanyama Victor

The game is merely window dressing for the real event; the New Orleans Pelicans can defeat Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs in the season series.

Regretfully, it appears that basketball fans may not witness a rematch between Zion Williamson and Wembanyama. Head coach Willie Green revealed that the first choice in the 2019 NBA Draft might not be available after practice yesterday.

“Today, Williamson and Herb Jones got down on the floor, moved around a little, and practiced,” Green said. “They’re feeling better, but we’ll probably hear more tomorrow. Probably at the last minute of the game.

But the actual game strategy is still the same. Before the NBA All-Star break, Green’s erratic but reliable Pelicans are returning to their foundation as the visitors aim to contain the top selection in 2023. The Houston Rockets’ emphasis on basics and early establishing of the tone proved counterproductive. In San Antonio, New Orleans is hoping for the similar outcome.

Green said that the last victory was due to the team’s defensive length and that they will continue to use it to slow down Wembanyama.

“We establish the mood with our body language. We stopped all of their shots, we guarded the paint, and most importantly, we finished the possession with rebounds. We really controlled the boards, which is important for us, said Green. Our team as a whole and the players on the periphery are endowed with size. We have men that are long, strong, and excellent defenders. We are able to play excellent defense as a result.

Beating teams you’re meant to defeat, like the Spurs, is another way to establish yourself as a serious contender. Green wants to build on that foundation. However, the Pelicans have lost 16 double-digit leads this season, mostly as a result of sluggish second-half starts and collapses in crucial moments. These problems might be avoided greatly by adhering to defensive concepts like guarding the three-point line. The third-year head coach of the Pelicans claims that the procedure is internal.

“I believe that paint protection is the first step. You can challenge every shot once you can keep the paint safe. The key to reducing an opponent’s three-point field goal percentage is to grasp that idea, according to Green. “I can now get out and challenge every shot if they are unable to reach the hole. Everyone collapses as soon as they begin to eat at your paint and penetrate your defense. They now have kick-out threes, which are challenging to reach.

Wembanyama kick-outs are inevitable. Wembanyama’s kick-outs can be deadly because of his unblockable shot. Even though the Frenchman is only shooting three points approximately thirty percent of the time, the Pelicans consistently seem to be on the losing end of erratic hot streaks. Closeouts pose a risk as well because Wembanyama is seldom more than a dribble away from the basket.

Whenever opponents become hot from behind the three-point arc, upsets are more likely to occur. Gregg Popovich can further tip the odds in favor of the Spurs in a close game by making some in-game tweaks worthy of a Hall of Fame player. Even so, even if Williamson and Jones are forced to sit out, Green has no defenses. This should not be a game decided in the final five minutes because of the Pelicans’ enormous talent advantage. After all, New Orleans had already won by 15 and 36 points in December.

Victor Wembanyama versus Zion Williamson If Zion is out tonight, Round 2 might have to wait until next year. On December 1, Wembanyama took a break from his tour to New Orleans. A week before Christmas, Williamson and Wembanyama both played well in San Antonio, but it’s possible that their paths won’t meet again until November of next year.

The last week of the season is when the Spurs and Pelicans square off for the fourth time. At that point, lottery clubs typically have shut down their stars, so Wembanyama will be focusing on his play for the French national team. If the Pelicans are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, they might also be resting their starters.

Regretfully, supporters have complaints about those things. The Pelicans, who have endured a decade of ailments and disappointments, will take any good fortune. It is Green’s responsibility to break into a top-six seed. To move over the NBA Play-In Tournament cutoff line and lose their “pretender” status, the Pelicans need to string together a couple victories. It’s a blessing in disguise to have a practice game against a Spurs club that isn’t fielding its best players near the end of the season.