They started with a 6-game losing streak, averaging 18 points per game! Super No. 1 pick Zion has regressed. Should the Pelicans tear down and rebuild?

Two weeks into the new NBA season, the Western Conference has fallen into the annual chaos. To be precise, there is not much difference from the Clippers in fifth place to the Mavericks in 14th place. And here, there are wealthy teams such as the Nuggets, Rockets, Warriors, and Timberwolves. The Thunder's 7-game winning streak at the start was expected. Even if Jaywe is recovering from injury, Alexander averaged 33.6 points per game + Holmgren averaged 23 points per game. The team has a deep rotation of 9 players. They are the only team to win the championship. But several other strong teams have their own problems. The Clippers have Tyronn Lue holding down Collins and not letting him start. It is difficult for Kawhi to play the fourth position; the Warriors continue to capsize when they are weak; the Timberwolves core Edwards suffered a hamstring injury, and everyone is working hard to solve the problem.

However, there is another team in the brutal Western Conference that is beyond competition, and that is the Pelicans. They started with 0 wins and 6 losses, and are basically scheduled to be at the bottom of the Western Conference in advance. During the offseason, the Pelicans made an incomprehensible deal: they gave away McCollum + Olynyco + a second-round pick, and acquired Jordan Poole + Saddiq Bey + this year’s No. 40 pick from the Wizards. It stands to reason that Poole and Saddiq Bey in exchange are both young. The Pelicans' original lineup is not bad. The No. 1 pick Zion leads the team. In addition to Poole, there are Murphy + Herbert Jones + sixth-year Alvarado. There are Looney, Hawkins, Missy and others on the bench. Even if Murray recuperates for a long time, a victory will not be hard to come by. But the key is that in these 6 games, the Pelicans lost by an average of 18 points per game, which is basically at the Development League level.

In the first two games, they lost to the Grizzlies by 6 points and the Spurs by 4 points. After being defeated by the Celtics by 32 points, they lost to the Nuggets by 34 points. After losing to the Clippers by 2 points, they were defeated by the Thunder by 31 points. Among them, the game against the Clippers was the most unfortunate. They persisted until the last minute, but were defeated by Leonard's mid-range shot. As the core of the team, Zion averaged 22.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. The data is indeed good, but he has declined very quickly. This is the first time since he entered the league that his shooting percentage is less than 50% (48%). In the past five seasons, his average shooting percentage is 57%! Based on his complete lack of three-point shooting, as an impactful tank forward, this efficiency value is really not high!

The advanced data is even more embarrassing. When Zion is on the court, the Pelicans lose 9.7 points per 100 possessions, which is already the bottom five in the league; when Zion is not on the court, the Pelicans lose 28.3 points per 100 possessions, ranking bottom in the league! He averaged 107.7 points and 22 assists per game, both at the bottom of the league; his field goal percentage was 42.1%, ranking 29th in the league, and his 40.7 rebounds per game ranked 25th in the league. The Pelicans' game is that Zion and Poole take turns playing singles, one controls the starter, and the other controls the substitute. Others are indeed capable, but they do not have the ability to hold the ball stably. From Murphy to Fiers, including Herbert Jones, who was selected to the defensive first team, they are all blue-collar players. So what combat effectiveness can such a team have? The Pelicans' attitude towards Zion has always been very confusing.

Since the summer of 23, the entire league has been asking for prices, but has never been sold. Zion's contract with the Pelicans has three years and 126 million US dollars left, of which 39.44 million in salary this season has been converted to fully guaranteed in mid-July, and 87 million in the next two seasons is still a non-guaranteed contract. In addition, Zion's contract is also linked to weight, number of games played, and body fat percentage. Only by playing 61 games each season and meeting other conditions and indicators can he receive full salary. The Pelicans can see from the fact that they sent away Ingram at the deadline last season and McCollum in the offseason that they still have illusions about Zion. But does Zion have a future? He only played 30 games last season, and the trade market continued to decline. Last season, the US media gave a trade plan, and Zion was only worth a first-round plus salary matching the immediate combat ability.

Poole, who was exchanged for him, was indeed highly anticipated during the Warriors period, but his two seasons with the Wizards proved that he was only suitable for a role of stealing chickens in a chaotic battle. He could also average an output of 20 points per game, but he had no ability to lead a team at all, and his efficiency was very low. He cut corners on the defensive end and had no teammates in his eyes on the offensive end. The two shooting percentages of 18 points + 37% + 35% per game this season are the best proof. However, the Pelicans still have to bear Poole's remaining two-year salary contract of 66 million. He has no trade market. What does this money mean to Poole and let him be a data brusher? The only hope left for the Pelicans is that Dejounte Murray returns as soon as possible, but from a broken hand to a torn Achilles tendon last season, even if Murray returns, how much energy can he contribute?

In a short period of time, the Pelicans have no competitiveness at all. It is even said that after Zion may be injured again and fall down at any time, the Pelicans are really going to hit the historical losing streak record! Perhaps the best way for the Pelicans is to quickly exchange first-round picks while some players on the team still have trade value, such as Murphy and a few Herbert Jones, and the entire framework should be disbanded and completely rebuilt. However, due to the market conditions, it would be difficult for Zion and Poole to make a move anyway if they stayed to brush up on data. To be precise, the Pelicans are not like an NBA team, let alone a Western Conference team. They have not had a good life since they selected the top pick Zion.

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