Willie Green’s New Orleans Pelicans will go with what got them to the NBA Playoffs in Game 1 against the Phoenix Suns. CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram will get at least four games to figure out a Monty Williams defense while trying to keep up with Chris Paul and Devin Booker.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Phoenix Suns
- When: April 17, 2022 @ 8:00 PM CT
- Where: Phoenix, AZ Footprint Center
- How To Watch/Listen: TNT, Bally Sports, ESPN 100.3FM New Orleans
Expected Starting Lineups:
New Orleans Pelicans: CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones, Jaxson Hayes, Jonas Valanciunas
Phoenix Suns: Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Deandre Ayton
Mar 15, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) shoots over New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (5) in the first quarter at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Stopping The Suns Stars
Game 1 will be about seeing what Chris Paul (14.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 10.8 assists) wants to do against the Pelicans. The rest is about stopping the future first-ballot Hall of Famer and making adjustments accordingly. McCollum has dealt with negative narratives concerning his defensive game and size since entering the NBA. He will have a chance to once again prove his playoff mettle against Paul because Herb Jones will be busy with Devin Booker.
Booker (26.8 points, 5 rebounds, 4.8 assists) will be on most NBA MVP ballots. Ingram and McCollum will need Jones to slow Booker down by making him settle on shots late in the shot clock. The Suns’ offense has too many options to let Booker get to his spots early. The Pelicans lack the outside shooting to keep up with Phoenix when the Suns get on a roll. Even with Paul and Booker missing games, they had the best record in the league for a reason.
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Green will not have Jonas Valanciunas dropping off on ball screens. Paul and Booker have shredded that look since entering the league. Valanciunas will get stretched to the perimeter but will still have to limit second-chance options by winning the rebounding battles with Deandre Ayton (17.2 points, 10.2 rebounds). Get the answers right in stopping the stars and there is reason to believe Ingram and McCollum can shoot the Pelicans into a surprise win in Game 1.
Feb 25, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) shoots over Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (22) in the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
Getting Green’s Offense Going
No one knows this Suns team and how Monty Williams likes to coach it better than Willie Green. Green was a leading voice guiding the Phoenix defensive huddles last year. His staff will have some plans drawn up to get open shots for everyone. It will be up to the team to seize the opportunities to steal a win to start the series.
McCollum is battle-tested, having made the playoffs nine straight years including a Western Conference Finals appearance with the Portland Trail Blazers. Phoenix will throw a variety of schemes at Ingram and his growth throughout the series will be something worth watching.
Paul, Booker, Ingram, and McCollum are among the most proficient mid-range shot practitioners in the NBA. Ingram and McCollum have been driving the offense by getting to the rim more but need to make a few more shots from beyond the arc. McCollum and Ingram have made only four of their 14 combined three-point attempts. Ingram missed both of his shots against San Antonio and did not pull the trigger from deep once in Los Angeles.
In fact, Ingram has only made two three-pointers total since March 7, 2022. He missed a portion of that schedule after going 3/7 from beyond the arc in Denver on March 6 but it is still a concerning truth. The Suns will look to shrink the floor and limit options. Ingram has to stretch his game out to match Booker in this series.
The New Orleans Pelicans have every reason to feel like they are playing with house money after a historically bad start to the season. Instead, Green is locked in on showing the world what this team is capable of in the postseason.
Green said after claiming a playoff spot, “It’s going to be great for us. We’re looking forward to lacing it up on Sunday against Phoenix. I don’t want to say that I didn’t know what was going to happen this season in terms of like where we were going to be. But I definitely believed we had a chance to do something special from the very beginning. I got here and this team reminded me a lot of Phoenix. Young, hungry, high-character guys. The future is bright.”
