Are New Orleans for real? First in West right now..got great nucleus in Zion, Ingram, McCollum, Big V, Murphy, Nance, Alvarado..can they keep it up?
Two thoughts:
(1) They are #1 not because they are playing so well but because the rest of the top teams in the West have stunk up the joint. GSW need to act together. DEN still struggling after the comebacks from long term injuries to MPJ and Murray. LAC have been a no-show because Kawhi hasn't been able to comeback. CP3 got old which has taken PHO out of the mix.
The good news here is that if this continues the West could be wide open. The bad news is that some of these underperforming contenders (particularly GSW & DEN) could get their act together and then wipe the floor with the rest of the West.
(2) I made the same point / question about NOP when we faced them a few weeks ago. They have the talent to be a title contender. The top tier talent of Zion, Ingram and McCollum combined with the supporting cast of Herbert Jones, Jonas, Nance, Alvarado, Trey Murphy. That is a title contender talent wise.
That part said, I felt they lacked the urgency & maturity necessary to take advantage of the situation. I do not feel those guys understand how lucky they are / rare it is to have such a talented group of teammates and how special of an opportunity they have in front of them. That lack of urgency / understanding will be their undoing.
Secondly, the lack of maturity from their young stars Zion and Ingram appears to be a problem as well. Neither are real leaders yet. Both are more concerned with their own numbers than team wins. They don't look ready for high pressure playoff games to my eyes. They are not mature enough.
If NOP wakes up and sees what is in front of them, they have a very special opportunity to win the West. They have the talent. They have the supporting cast. They conference is wide open. It is all right in front of them for them to take. They just need need to understand the gravity of the situation, the urgency required to fulfill the task, and the maturity to put the team ahead of self. However, I do not see that happening for them though.
I feel like this is more of a false start. A season needed to realize how close they are and what they could be capable of if they just grew up already and took things more seriously. Next year looks a better bet for them.
