Insightful: Could the Pelicans be seen as a Strange Threat to Dethrone the Denver Nuggets in the West?

As they grow healthy, the Pelicans are reclaiming their status as one of the best teams in the Western Conference.

The New Orleans Pelicans’ stock is rising. The Pelicans now have more depth than ever, thanks to CJ McCollum’s return from a collapsed lung and Trey Murphy’s quick recovery from a damaged meniscus. In reality, the Pelicans were as healthy as they had ever been during their 127-117 quarterfinal triumph over the Sacramento Kings in the NBA In-Season Tournament.

The Pelicans’ position in the NBA as a real contender is beginning to take form. Kings shooter Kevin Huerter, in particular, believes that New Orleans has the talent to compete with anyone in the NBA. Sharpshooters McCollum, Murphy, and Jordan Hawkins, tenacious defenders Herb Jones and Jose Alvarado, a perimeter go-to-guy in Brandon Ingram, a powerful paint presence in Zion Williamson, and a switchable big man in Nance are all on the roster.

“They had a lot of guys that were out at their place who were effective tonight. We did a good job on Zion, but Ingram had it going all game. Their bench was great — a big reason they came back,” Huerter said after the game, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN.

Kevin Huerter wasn’t the only one convinced of the Pelicans’ chances of being a dangerous team come April. One league source even went as far as to say that New Orleans could be a legitimate threat to the Denver Nuggets’ chances of repeating as NBA champion.

“With their complete roster, they are the team that I could see challenging the Denver Nuggets for the top team in the West,” the anonymous source said.

What will be crucial to helping the Pelicans fulfill their potential as a unit is Zion Williamson’s health; if he’s on the court come April, the Pelicans will be hard to beat. They were the one seed last season when Williamson went down with a season-ending injury after all.“This team can be so great. We have a lot of potential, but we have a lot of growth to do. But overall, we can do something really special if everybody stays locked in. We can do something really special,” Williamson said.