The Western Conference Has A Sleeping Giant

The New Orleans Pelicans have been one of the best 2-way teams in the NBA, and should be getting more hype as a "dark horse" contender.
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[@rodneymccoy6656]

pels been underrated this season glad you made a vid on em

[@HoopVenue]

Thanks for watching!

[@liltanksJJ]

Chill bro, let them sleep 😴

[@calvin8154]

I don't know if it's underrated or if it's people are worried about injuries. I know I'm sure worried about it. The Pels have been so fun to watch the past few seasons when they are healthy. You can see how good they are. But the past several seasons have been derailed by injuries it's hard to get your hopes up again. Every time I watch a Pels game and see Zion jump I wince and hope the season isn't going to end with another Zion injury. The Pels need him for any hopes of a deep playoff run. Hopefully he stays healthy and we get an amazing run.

[@xstupdwhale252]

Brandon Ingram one of the most underrated defenders in the league.

[@HoopVenue]

Facts

[@pullingthestrings5233]

Meanwhile we traded him for AD 🤡

[@pullingthestrings5233]

And we traded Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and some picks for AD 🤡

[@meditationkings6025]

Are you saying thats a bad trade?@@pullingthestrings5233

[@abdirahmanhassan1848]

@@pullingthestrings5233 hindsight is 20/20

[@kgtd2160]

Herb and dyson daniels are ant's worst nightmares. The wolves struggle mightly against the pels and that would not be a matchup they would want to see.

[@amandagreer6123]

Yesssssss

[@DevynPlaysGames]

the pels bench is really deep

[@HoopVenue]

One of the best in the league for sure!

[@CodeineAbdulJabbar]

People just don’t give the pels enough love. We’re seriously slept on. Deep as hell and extremely talented at the top

[@Jb-tt6to]

Wish there was more minutes for Big Hawk

[@CodeineAbdulJabbar]

@@Jb-tt6to they need to get him on the court with Ingram out. Surround Zion with shooters. So he can attack and kick out when need be

[@juliocesargarciafernandez4995]

​@@HoopVenuefacts , probably the most underrated and still really good on both ends

[@twill8907able]

This is one of the best breakdowns I've seen. Really in depth and accurate as well. We've beat the three only team that worries me is Denver. Herb clamps Shai every time they play. Zion demolishes minny every time they play. We are 2-2 vs them this year both losses Z didn't play and they narrowly win. Both wins we beat tf outta them. We've beat the clippers we are 12-3 vs clips last 15 games lol. We've beaten and or held our own vs Denver for the most part let few years but I'm honestly terrified of playing them in the playoffs. Anybody else can get it

[@HoopVenue]

Glad you enjoyed, and love the optimism!

[@twill8907able]

@@HoopVenue keep up the good work my brother

[@Jmelly99]

So glad u mentioned the defense. It’s won us a lot of games this year

[@Book.of.Treason]

Zion finally having a coming out party

[@R3tr0Burd]

Pause..

[@ayeblocc]

Hes been good just not healthy and in good light and he never will be in good light unless he wins a championship

[@dboii9741]

He already had his coming out party

[@tonytooshort]

Too little too late if you ask me

[@bencrabtree5647]

Extended coming out party* he’s definitely already had periods of greatness in other seasons

[@NotInformedOfficial]

"Grand Theft Alvarado" bruhhh... XD

[@HoodrichTee]

time for Ingram to get a ring

[@tentaken8755]

Yup, bro

[@freeddawg2882]

nice joke

[@amandagreer6123]

Yesssssss and the others❤

[@diegochavez6203]

​@@freeddawg2882not this year but it could happen 2-3 years

[@JimmyJohnson-os3rg]

Hoop Venue is the pelicans of nba KZbin, you slept on but you steady putting out great videos man! Keep up the good work!

[@Megatraum504]

this is a GREAT breakdown of pelicans talent. W content man.

[@HoopVenue]

Thank you!

[@liltanksJJ]

All this video tells me is that this is a well coached team, W. Green is doing a phenomenal job

[@Juveenyle]

Great video thanks for showing Pels some love

[@HoopVenue]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@quisvvs]

Ngl I did not know the pels were playing so well this season

[@HoopVenue]

Lurking in the shadows

[@meljay337]

HV gonna keep the ppl informed. Stay tuned brother

[@TJzWayy]

You are one of my favorite NBA channels. I see the grind.

[@GibranCamus-kr2dc]

I love that BI and Zion look sleepy in the thumbnail.

[@HoopVenue]

Everybody's sleeping on the sleepers.

[@Matthew-xl5bc]

One of the best teams to watch in the league. Them and OKC

[@Bilious303]

Only concern is zions health and cj being streaky

[@HoopVenue]

Couldn't agree more

[@pierceliu9914]

That Shai vs Herb matchup would be so exciting to watch in years to come, although I’m pretty sure the Thunder will try to switch CJ on him, pretty much how they beat us in the playin and the last meeting.

[@MN-uy8sb]

Great video, much more in depth than the other Pels videos that have been getting made lately.

[@davmarsh]

herb jones saved my life

[@ceeb830]

Hope this team can manage to shake up the conference 💯

[@user-od8mj3rr5h]

the real sleeping giant of the West: 1. Kings 2. Pelicans I think even Clippers won't make it past one of these teams I love Kawhi but his teammates are all playoffs chokers 🤣

[@user-tr3ov6iw1b]

​@@user-od8mj3rr5h true

[@Crose46]

Great analysis, the Pels looked scary last night....right before my magic dismantled them

[@pinobluevogel6458]

Wow, such a sweet and concise breakdown of what makes the Pelicans good! I think you nailed almost every point. Starting off with Zion makes sense, as he is most well known as someone with insane potential, but actually putting focus on Ingram is probably as justified. It is his playmaking, combined with the threat of his three level scoring, that opens up the toughest defenses. Either that, or the combination of Zion with high level shooters is incredibly hard to defend against. That said, the Pelicans have a very stretchable offense that holds up against tougher defenses, but what makes them really stand out is their great defensive potential. Their starting lineup has been good, but as soon as they go to the bench they become even tougher to crack, with Dyson, Trey, Naji, Jose and Larry all being great defensive talent. Any mix of them with Zion, CJ or Ingram has also been a good lineup, not to mention that Herb Jones is quietly the most important player on the team for their consistancy. The whole defense starts and ends with him, while he has developed into a versatile and very efficient offensive player as well. It is clear to see that they are starting to figure stuff out, gaining confidence in the process. While early this year they would be out of sorts on occasion, falling behind early or losing a lategame lead, they are much more consistant now and quite capable of keeping everything going. I'm so much looking forward to seeing them in the playoffs and giving the best teams a run for their money!

[@BLaZe6007x]

Vids are fire, waiting on you to go over the knicks and brunson

[@astamilio]

Great work, especially on the defensive breakdown.

[@SnakeMaster420]

This aged well

[@gregwilliams4702]

Great video. They gonna find out about us this year. We Taking over the NBA let's go Pelicans

[@Tsukuyomi_99]

finally some recognition

[@rolandarobinson5241]

Great video ❤

[@imhotepnixon]

Watched their game against the Clippers the other day if Zion takes the challenge defensively against Kawhi like he did in that game they’ll win that series

[@sidneybryan5251]

Great Analysis, Great Content.

[@pierceliu9914]

Props to Brandon for playing great defense and sacrifice his attempts, touches, and potentially money for the team. But we need him to be dominant like what he can do. Can’t count on CJ and Trey throwing up shots because teams in the playoffs will close out on them hard

[@HoopVenue]

We'll just have to wait and see what happens!

[@marcelbonds1279]

Point Zion makes that almost impossible

[@xfanatick7972]

Love the pels! They play balanced basketball on both ends of the floor. It’s really fun to watch them

[@meljay337]

I can't wait to see them in the playoffs, specifically with Zion. That suns series without Z they battled hard but now they're all better and they'll have Z (🤞🏾).

[@bigboolhoffa9487]

Nice job bro. geaux pels

[@vittiriowashington5211]

I equate how they swarm on defense how they build walls protecting 6 ft on in. Kinda how in football, a nickel package has multiple dbs and all of em can cover, hit, and blitz. They two can sit back in zones creating a defensive boundary. ⛽ Cover

[@HoopVenue]

Great analogy!

[@vittiriowashington5211]

@@HoopVenue Preciate that! Keep Producing

[@kaordon504]

Great video!… but to say Naji Marshal is a weak outside shooter even though he has a better percentage from 3 than Jose is craziness

[@alemilien6742]

Real good break down of the pelicans

[@davmarsh]

deepest team in the league

[@andrewabraham5109]

Can you do a video on Jalen Brunson's recent play or talk about the Knicks and how they can be a nightmare problem in the playoffs if healthy?

[@HoopVenue]

Definitely going to come out with a Brunson video soon!

[@heffe]

Finally my pelicans get some serious attention and don't get downplayed or dismissed

[@turkey8727]

I always watch these videos they're so interesting

[@HoopVenue]

Thank you!

[@arielramos1070]

Hey would you mind doing a video on the Mavericks v Nuggets game?

[@eamparbeng]

That's because they're a small market team. This is common

[@foreverfendi1037]

#no_new_friends i'm jumping on all content creators who now acting like they been with us. Like they weren't talking crazy about Zion. But you, you have been legit. The Herb Jones video showed your character. Respect.

[@HoopVenue]

The respect is mutual!

[@cirgx4983]

Herb is 1st all Defense and it’s not even close🗣️

[@KNRS927]

Awesome analysis. Pelicans have been a fun team and could make a deep run. Just a few things of concern for me is 3P variance as they give up a ton of 3s, and then their offense is a lot of 2-3 man actions with the rest parked in the corner and little movement so maybe something teams gameplan?

[@zoltangregus8762]

a vid about the pacers and the siakam fit?

[@chronixdubz]

This is a video for more casual basketball fans i realized this quick love the content but damn it im educated in basketball too much 😂

[@holdthis4279]

u want a cookie

[@chronixdubz]

@@holdthis4279 I'd prefer your first born child instead

[@HoopVenue]

Being educated is a good thing!!

[@chronixdubz]

@@holdthis4279 damn buddy who made the vid replied before you could come up with anything else that's crazy 🤣

[@czarxy]

naji shooting almost 39 from three this season

[@bencrabtree5647]

Love this video but you can’t call Jose a solid shooter and then call Naji a weak shooter when he’s shooting 38.5% from 3 this season and Jose is 37.3% (on slightly more attempts). Dyson is for sure a weak outside shooter at this point tho

[@nbapbaupdate8338]

Zion Williamson POINT FORWARD now INSANE 💯

[@mallycarter1]

great channel, healthy, they upset some contenders in their conference

[@taylor_m_237]

Naji isnt a great career 3pt shooter, but he is on 38.5% this year taking over 2 a game.

[@awesomeninja234]

Very good team ever since the meltdown in the in season tournament

[@zayedsauti3261]

the plays they run for Zion brings back memories of a Nuggets-era Carmelo Anthony --but without the mid-range jumper

[@dillonlovesmemes8819]

best basketball youtuber next to jimmy w content

[@ddddddbingbong]

Random question: Are either 2:40 or 3:08 travels? The first one Zion picks up the foot before the dribble and the second one Ingram does a little hop on his pivot foot. I think technically they’re travels but idk for sure

[@albertmijares2566]

I will be very happy to see the Pels in the NBA Championship. I love the Pels!!!

[@oddlyn25]

zion attempted a lil midrange last game…personally i think if he develops some form of a shot outside of the rim as well as his inside pressure its game over

[@rm367]

The have control on the pace 🎉 love my pels

[@ganuwoahh]

hopefully we can get past the first round. maybe even the second. depends on the seed ofc but I got hope for this squad

[@formerlyknownaseasrob]

Long as Denver doesn’t get the 1 seed I’m hopeful the draw is favorable for a conference finals run

[@christopherwoodson7162]

When BI had the blitz double he vs the pacers, he had herb wide-open on the wing/top of the key for a wide open 3. He just missed him. He made the shot so 🤷🏼 3s are better then 2 tho.

[@AreYouFNQRAZII]

9:01 Defense Section‼️

[@boscopirie8646]

I love this vid bout my pels, but find it weird that media outlets talkin bout us now?

[@maartenvz]

The pelicans reddit has been complaining about (lack of) late game execution and giving up leads. If they can clean that up they can make it past the first round.

[@tayh3168]

Pels are a serious matchup nightmare against any team.

[@ADarrell]

Next level for Big Z is to have a Malone jumper as a counter. After that it's game over for the next 5 years.

[@Lemonickous]

Ingram always looks like he's sleeping and Zion is a giant so good call

[@johnrouguine3090]

I wouldn’t be shocked if they made it to the WCF.

[@bigbangbasketball]

The Pels always make a push around this time just to get knocked out in the first round 😂

[@HoopVenue]

They've only made the playoffs one time since 2018, and took the 64 win Suns to 6

[@rjped4566]

Great breakdown on the team. They can match up against anyone. Zion is unguardable in the paint and BI has an unguardable mid range jumper. Pick your poison. If the rest of the role players step up in the playoffs and they play solid defense they can win it all.

[@wgbsanalises5285]

I need that

[@isaacwilliams7217]

As a wolves fan, I am terrified of the pelicans.

[@HoopVenue]

I feel like fans of most Western contenders feel this way

[@DukeOfAwsomeness]

There scary but if KAT and Gobert are healthy we should match up well against them

[@isaacwilliams7217]

​@@DukeOfAwsomeness The regular season games against them say otherwise. They have an elite defense and an even more versatile offense.

[@dboii9741]

Their easily my wild card they just gotta perform up to par

[@RelMyers]

A lot of people don't see the vision 🙂 it's up to the Pelicans to prove that they're worth mentioning.

[@JustJoe581]

My only thing is they dont have enough playoff experience with each other healthy! Pelicans and Thunder will run the West after the Warriors and Nuggets disperse!

[@beyondreality8506]

Flock up!!!

[@gamblerc8602]

i love this point zion moment

[@jesusshuttlesworth8231]

They definitely have to go to the finals this year or next year😮

[@mayo42069]

in my humble opinion, it’s either them, the wolves, or nuggets, who are gonna be ringed up by the end of the year. all 3 squads are special, there’s no one in the east i think could stop any of the 3

[@HoopVenue]

Not even Boston!?

[@westbankrick885]

Flock up 🍿

[@jesseminnema2999]

What worries me about the Pels is their starting lineup. They have a net rating of -1.3, and I feel like that’s because there’s just too many cooks in the kitchen. Zion, Ingram, CJ and Jonas all need the ball to do something on the offensive end and their defense is really carried by what Herb is doing. They lose the FT battle often as well as in turnovers and transition offense/defense. I love, however, their two swiss army knives off the bench in Nance and Murphy. And their coaching and schemes, of course. They somehow make a lot of things work with their aggressive defense. I feel like there’s a certain ceiling however and that in the play-offs, where you default to your starting lineup, you will find yourself against a Kawhi that will absolutely abuse Zion and Jonas on the defensive ends, especially when they put them in the pick and roll. Then again, they could totally prove me wrong 😅:

[@KickIRLRecap]

Uh the pels beat the clippers all the time what you even talking about lol

[@jesseminnema2999]

@@KickIRLRecap Well, it doesn’t have to be the Clippers per se, but other teams certainly. I am merely stating my concerns about the Pels for this post-season though.

[@dontrellpoindexter2347]

The less people talk about you, the more focus one can use to become great.

[@treydaypnw]

Damn, the Pelicans look like a very solid team all the way around.

[@HoopVenue]

Couldn't agree more

[@jordanbacon6645]

Y’all forget they were the one seed with a healthy zion last season

[@emi_fisher]

CMON NEW MUSIC

[@comphorse1468]

🔥

[@goatbrook9065]

suks ingram just got hurt too. injuries always happen at the worst times

[@johnnelson3665]

They still got Zion and a deep team. But yeah that is unfortunate.

[@marklai6497]

Glad to see Zion healthy and leading the pelicans. Last I checked NOP were in the top 5 bottom teams in the earlier months of this season. Now they're at the top teams.

[@504hotboi5]

If you don't love watching Jose Alvarado sneak up outta nowhere an steal the ball then you just a hater..

[@JOHNNYPMUSIC]

Would u consider Zion a t10 offensive player? If not who the the guys you’d definitely take over him.

[@HoopVenue]

With the way he's looked over this recent stretch I imagine it'd be hard to pick 10 over him. Can't wait to finally see him in the playoffs and get a real assessment!

[@vittiriowashington5211]

Pels vs Thunder make a good matchup Thunder all 7 imo.

[@HoopVenue]

I would love to see that series.

[@boogiejonz]

Zion! aka "The Screwdriver!!!"

[@JohnSilva-hi6hx]

About time NO is able to depend on Zion. It's hard to be a fan and then off he goes.

[@mathius4838]

Indi vid?

[@gerryconstant4914]

Sorry but Naji Marshall is hitting 39% on his 3s & Willie Green won't play Hawkins & Ryan because they are liabilities on D. The only time the Pelicans lose a game is when CJ & Trey aren't hitting from outside. Zion is in great shape & both he & Ingram are playing great defense & grabbing rebounds.

[@narekbalasanyan1814]

Ive been saying this alot of people gonna be salty when the New Orleans Pelicans Yes the New Orleans Pelicans upset alot of teams

[@dontrellkeys]

Herb jones is what I hope Jaden McDaniels can be

[@taronrich2231]

This video cursed me lpl

[@ZeusWayy]

Pelicans could reach the nba finals and Zion snags his first ring and finals mvp that would feed families for the nba just saying