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.
I'm confused by this. Ingram is averaging the fewest points of any season in New Orleans and Zion is way down from his last season. They are taking less shots and sharing the ball, not just with McCollum, but Murphy, Jonas, and Jones and they are winning.
This is like the Amare Stoudemire version of teamwork -- if I take less shots therefore I am a better team player. No!
You have to put that energy that your are saving from taking less shots and put it into other things that lead to victories namely defense & rebounding. Or playmaking. Things that make the opponent less effective. Things that give your team more possessions. Things that make your teammates life easier.
What I see are young guys who still do not understand this.
What I see are young guys who still think the way they impact a game is through the lens of ... on offense, I get the ball and I can make the play / take the shot. That is the lack of maturity I am talking about.
Back to Amare, it should have been him learning to be a better defensive player and a double digit rebounder. That is what his team needed from him in terms of leadership and teamwork. Not just taking less shots / allowing others to score.
Amares do not lead teams to titles. Zion & Ingram still need a maturity jump before they are ready to go from Amare level to best player on a title winner level.