The New Orleans Pelicans opened their preseason campaign with a 106-104 victory against the Orlando Magic at the Smoothie King Center. Monday's matinee gave fans their first glimpse at the team in a competitive environment on the court. New Orleans announced pregame that forward Brandon Ingram would rest the preseason opener against the Magic, although he did go through pregame warmups.
Despite Ingram's absence and Trey Murphy III's, who injured his hamstring this week during training camp, the Pelicans first-team offense was solid and looked efficient. Here are a few observations from Monday's game.
Zion Williamson is in midseason form: Head coach Willie Green announced his starters would see about 20 minutes on Monday, but that was all Williamson needed to show he is ready for the season. The two-time All-Star was dominant on Monday, scoring 16 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, and dishing three assists. New Orleans rested him the entire second half after his efficient 19 minutes on the court.
Without Ingram and Murphy III's scoring, the lion's share of the offensive responsibility would fall on Williamson, and he delivered. Earlier this summer, the former No. 1 overall pick said this season would be one of vengeance. If Monday is any indication, then good luck to the rest of the league stopping him.
Jordan Hawkins is made of the right stuff: Confidence is tricky with a young player in the NBA. Hawkins went from winning a championship at the University of Connecticut to playing major minutes the first two months of his rookie season and then riding the bench for much of the latter part of last year. Many hoped the sharpshooting guard would leap in his second season, but early returns during Summer League could have been better.
The 6-foot-4 shooting guard led the team in turnovers during his five games in Las Vegas and only shot 24% from beyond the arc. With the departures of Naji Marshall and Dyson Daniels this offseason, Hawkins would get a good look to step up and be a key contributor off the bench this year. On Monday, he played the most minutes on the team, contributing a game-high 18 points on 5/8 shooting.
The former first-round pick was impressive with his shooting and aggressiveness. He didn't settle for three-point shots but made it a habit to drive the ball and create contact. Hawkins led the team with seven free-throw attempts. This version of the former UConn standout will get plenty court time this season.
Daniel Theis can hold his own: The biggest offseason question mark was how the Pelicans would address the lack of size in the middle. New Orleans vowed to play a smaller, quicker game, employing small-ball lineups. Orlando was a good measuring stick on how that would look defensively for the Pelicans. Theis is an undersized 6-foot-8 forward masquerading at the center position, but he is extremely smart and can positionally play solid defense.
His three first-quarter deflections helped set the tone defensively for the Pelicans, who ended the first half with ten steals. Theis also contributed nicely on the offensive end, scoring 13 points and having the highest +/- on the team. He should not be counted on to start all 82 games at center, but he has proven to be a nice rotational piece to plug in different situations to do some of the dirty work down low.