On February 18, Beijing time, the Pelicans played at home against the Lone Rangers, and as a result, in the first quarter, the Pelicans were hit by the opponent with a 45-27 shockwave, digging a 18-point pit. The difference between the two sides reached as high as 24 points, and it was thought that the game would enter garbage time early, and the Pelicans returned a 37-20 opponent in the last quarter, but unfortunately, due to the large pit dug in the early stage, the Pelicans eventually lost 118-125.
CJ McCollum, a new signing who just joined the team shortly before this game, once again entered the empty group, and this game he started 39 minutes, shot 14 of 26, and had 38 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists, especially in the last quarter, which was 18 points, and almost helped the team reverse the victory.
After wearing his pelican jersey, CJ averaged 28.4 points, 6 rebounds and 5.4 assists in the five games he played for the team, shooting 51.4%, 42.5% and 76.5% of the three shots, respectively.
Although the Trail Blazers have only won 1-4 in these 5 games, CJ's individual performance is impeccable. The pelicans kept losing because their teammates were so bad. After CJ joined, the team's previous core Ingram behaved extremely uncomfortably, averaging only 15.4 points, 5 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game in the last 5 games, and the three-point shooting rate was as low as 17.6%, which was obviously not worthy of the pelicans' five-year, 158 million contract.
Ingram, as the 2016 leaderboard, did not cash in on the talent in the Lakers. After joining the Pelicans, he played out, was selected as an All-Star, and also got a 5-year, 158 million contract. I thought Ingram would keep improving, but after getting the big contract, he began to decline. This season, he has averaged 22.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game, shooting 45% from the field and 33% from three-point range, which is obviously unsatisfactory.
Ingram's growth has not been as expected, another champion, Zion, has been injured, and the Pelicans' high hopes for Gemini have disappointed. According to Pelicans reporter Clark, Zion's right foot may need to undergo surgery again, but no plan has yet been determined. Once the surgery is performed again, it will announce Zion's reimbursement for this season. Entered the league for 3 years, played only 24 games in the first year, and was reimbursed for the third season. The Pelicans really should have seriously considered whether they should continue to build around Zion and Ingram.
It is said that brother thick eyebrows are very fragile, and Zion is more fragile than thick eyebrow brothers. Zion is not only fragile, but also very indiscipline. Zion reportedly overeated during his recuperation period and gained 16 kilograms, weighing almost 300 pounds at the end of last year. Now that he has to undergo surgery again, he can't train systematically, and coupled with his indisciplined eating habits, when he comes back, God knows how many pounds he will gain.
Zion's flying style of play, coupled with his tonnage, the injury is no longer an accidental event, but an inevitable event.
In the 2019 draft, the Pelicans thought they had selected a historic superstar, James' successor. Now it seems that they have chosen more like Auden's successor, another parallel importer.
After losing to the Lone Rangers, the Pelicans are 12th in the West with a record of 23 wins and 36 losses, and a two-point difference from the tenth Blazers. The exhaustion attracted CJ's All-Star-level backcourt, but the team failed to play the expected performance and did not know how management felt now.
CJ is impeccable offensively, but his defense has always been a weakness, and he is not the material of the star, and can only be a second boss. Zion couldn't play, Ingram was in a slump, and it was really difficult for CJ to lead the Pelicans to the playoff tickets.
It is said that the Lakers make people sigh, and the Pelicans are undoubtedly more lamentable than the Lakers. After completing the deal of the thick eyebrow brother, the Lakers have already won the championship, and no matter what the back is, it will not lose. When the Pelicans first completed the thick-browed brother trade, they were also considered by many fans to be more promising than the Lakers. After 3 years, they still haven't achieved anything.