National Basketball Association

New Orleans Pelicans NBA2k17 Season Simulation

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

As part of NBA2k Day, Pelican Debrief decided to do a full 82-game season preview for the New Orleans Pelicans on NBA2k17, with the simulation having a “Deja Vu” feeling to it at the end.

With the NBA season less than a month away, anticipation for the New Orleans Pelicans upcoming season is tough to ignore.

The excitement brought along the idea of doing a season simulation on NBA2k17, the new basketball video game that came out a few weeks ago. The game includes a Franchise/Season Mode that can be completed in the game.

In this mode, you can control your favorite team and complete either a single season or multiple seasons campaign. The goal is simple: Win as many games and championships as you can. However, this article is focused on a simulation.

Each game was simulated instead of actually played, giving it the most realistic outcome. Still, it’s always good to remember during this simulation that this is a game. It does not mean each and everything that happens in this run should be expected this upcoming season.

Before it begins, there are a few things that are different than what will happen to the New Orleans Pelicans this season.

First off, the rosters in the game are the ones before signings late in the offseason. Therefore, guys like Lance Stephenson, Chris Copeland and Robert Sacre are not on the team.

The injuries to Jrue Holiday, Quincy Pondexter and Tyreke Evans were wiped away to start the season, due to the game not yet updating the injury situation. The team also has a different depth chart than they will to start in real life, even though we tried to give them the most accurate rotations possible.

Still, it’s time to see what will happen to the New Orleans Pelicans in this simulated season. Will the Pelicans make the playoffs? Will the team be handed another awful run of injuries? There’s only one way to find out….

Sep 23, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans Anthony Davis (23) poses for a portrait during media day at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The Beginning of the Season

The New Orleans Pelicans started the season with three losses against the Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs.

It gets worse. Langston Galloway was the first Pelican to fall to the injury bug in the season, with a 6-8 week absence right out of the gate.

A week later, the Pelicans would lose Anthony Davis for 1-2 weeks.

Even more frustrating is the fact those two injuries could not compare to the worst of the bunch. New Orleans lost Jrue Holiday for the season in Mid-November.

The Pelicans had to gameplan without their starting power forward and starting point guard. First off, Terrence Jones moved to the starting lineup, with the roles of Dante Cunningham and Solomon Hill increased.

The second was to replace Jrue in the starting lineup. That honor went to Tim Frazier.

The Pelicans also went out in free agency and grabbed an old friend of General Manager Dell Demps.

Norris Cole.

Even with the massive struggles, the Pelicans went on a 10-6 run to start the season, even after losing their first three games.

Next: Let The Good Times Roll

Apr 15, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) celebrates with guard Quincy Pondexter (20) after defeating the San Antonio Spurs at the Smoothie King Center.The Pelicans won 108-103 to earn the eight seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Let the Good Times Roll

With Anthony Davis returning November 18th, the Pelicans began to get on a roll.

They kept up the run they started in the first 16 games and relied on their great depth to carry them forward.

December would be a massive month for New Orleans, finishing 10-8 in the next 18 games.

The Pelicans were now 20-14, way ahead of their projections to begin the season. December became a month of success, with multiple wins against the Clippers and even a win against the juggernaut Golden State Warriors.

As they say, let the good times roll.

For the Pelicans, they saw great production from rookie Buddy Hield in this stretch. His defense translated to the team well, as New Orleans was able to win most of their games scoring less than 100 points. Add along his great three-point shooting throughout the year, and it’s easy to see how the team’s improvement shot up.

December would also see the return of Langston Galloway, who was injured in the first few games of the season.

Everything was going great for the Pelicans. What could possibly go wrong?

January. That’s what could go wrong…

Feb 8, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) looks to pass the ball as Minnesota Timberwolves forward Tayshaun Prince (12) defends in the second half at Target Center. The Pelicans won 116-102. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Losing Streak

The biggest losing streak of the season for the New Orleans Pelicans began right before January’s start.

The Pelicans lost to the Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks, the last two teams they played before 2017. Still, as January began, the losing continued.

New Orleans rattled off seven straight losses to start the new year, totaling nine losses in a row. These include games against the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks (Again!), Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls.

It would not get too much better, even after a win against the Orlando Magic to break the streak.

The Pelicans finished January with a record of 3-11, easily the worst month of the season.

New Orleans only had once saving grace for January. The Pelicans locked up a massive 36-point win at home against the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers on January 23rd.

Still, the bad luck continued.

While February was an improvement record wise, the injury bug came back to bite New Orleans.

The first injury was to backup center Alexis Ajinca, who planned to miss 1-2 weeks.

As it became Mid-February, an even bigger injury struck New Orleans. Backup power forward Terrence Jones was lost for the season, a massive blow to a team weak in frontcourt depth.

Finding a replacement on the bench for Jones would be difficult. However, it became a team mission to ease the load of Terrence’s absence.

The minutes and roles increased for Dante Cunningham and rookie big Chieck Diallo, who had yet to see minutes prior to Jones’ injury. Diallo, who was drafted in the second round, was given a chance to prove himself on the floor.

Even with all the struggles and injuries surrounding the team, things were about to look up once again for New Orleans.

Apr 15, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) celebrates with guard Tyreke Evans (1) after defeating the San Antonio Spurs at the Smoothie King Center.The Pelicans won 108-103 to earn the eight seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Sprinting Back Into The Playoffs

The New Orleans Pelicans fought through adversity to finish February on a high note.

New Orleans won seven of the 11 games in the second month of 2017, evening out their record to 30-30.

The thought of playoffs was not so far fetch’d. The mood lightened in New Orleans with the All-Star Weekend. While no Pelican participated in the Three-Point or Slam Dunk Contest, Buddy Hield was in the Rookie vs Sophomore Game.

Anthony Davis also made an appearance at the NBA All-Star Game. However, he did not have much of an impact, failing to score a single point in the game.

New Orleans would walk into March with heads held high, playing great basketball. Even with Solomon Hill missing over two weeks with a sprained left knee.

The highlight of March’s run was Tim Frazier’s 12 assist game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It set his season high for assists in a game.

The New Orleans Pelicans set themselves up for the playoffs in March. Their record of 10-6 put them way ahead of the ninth place Denver Nuggets in the standings.

After limping to the finish line with a 2-4 April, the New Orleans Pelicans had made the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference. They would set up to play the Golden State Warriors in a rematch of the playoff series two years ago.

With all the playoff excitement, it felt like time for the New Orleans Pelicans to conquer their demons from the Warriors series a few years prior. However, that would not be the case.

Apr 25, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives past New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) during the first quarter in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

We’ve Heard This Story Before

The New Orleans Pelicans went into their playoff matchup with hopes to prove doubters wrong.

The task would prove to be difficult.

Game One saw the Golden State Warriors in complete control, as the Pelicans lost by 38 points.

Game Two did not prove to be any better, with New Orleans losing by 27. The biggest difference in this game was the offense, which only scored 63 points in the entire game. No team at the NBA playoff level can win a game on 63 points.

Game Three, just like two years ago, was the closest game of the series, with New Orleans giving it their all. Still, it was not enough. The Warriors won and took a commanding lead in the series.

Game Four would see the Pelicans follow the same fate as their last playoff appearance. The Warriors swept out New Orleans in the first round en route to another NBA Championship.

The most surprising thing of the series was the fact Buddy Hield led the team in scoring instead of AD.

Next: Two Headed Stat Monsters

Sep 23, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; (editors note: caption correction) New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) and guard Buddy Hield (24) pose for a portrait during media day at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Two-Headed Stat Monsters

The New Orleans Pelicans were led by their two stars in the stats category.

Anthony Davis finished the season 6th in points, 7th in rebounds and 3rd in blocks for the entire NBA. Those stats would think to put him in the category of NBA MVP, yet he finished the season on the 2nd All-NBA Team.

Buddy Hield would find himself on the All-Rookie 1st Team, quite an achievement for a young player. Still, he would end up losing the Rookie of the Year race to Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Kris Dunn.

The New Orleans Pelicans stats wise saw great production from plenty of players. New Orleans had three players scoring at least 10 points per game. That does not include Jrue Holiday, who averaged 12 points per game before his injury.

Still, the Pelicans biggest strength is still depth. Every player on the roster put up at least two points per game, with 11 players scoring at least three points per contest.

New Orleans used their vast depth to stay steady with more talented teams, passing the expectations set before the season. Any time you can lose your second best player and still make the playoffs is an achievement. If the Pelicans want to do it in real life, they’ll likely need everyone there with those contributions.

All in all, this run is still a video game.

Mar 20, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis sits on the bench during the first quarter of a game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Smoothie King Center. It was announced prior to the game that Anthony Davis would miss the remainder of the season with a left knee injury. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Reality Setting In

This needs to be repeated: This simulation should not mark expectations for the upcoming season.

Two glaring anomalies happened during this simulation that can not be ignored.

First off, for the New Orleans Pelicans to find their way into the playoffs, one of the favorites had to be knocked down.

And boy were they.

The Dallas Mavericks were simulated to finish 23-59. This may have happened in the game due to a major injury, but even that will not keep Dallas from winning 25 games in real life.

The second greatest anomaly comes in the NBA Finals. As expected, the Golden State Warriors won the championship in five games.

It gets crazy when you see who they beat in the finals.

Cleveland? Nope.

Boston? Nope.

Toronto? Nope.

That title goes to the Orlando Magic.

The New Orleans Pelicans should not be expected to make the playoffs, especially without Jrue Holiday for 90% of the season. Still, it’s fun to realize the world is not completely counting out the Pels.

New Orleans’ newly found depth is something people are taking big notice of. If they use it wisely and stay healthy, it’s not crazy to believe they could make this kind of run. It’s even more fun to dream about.

NBA2k17 is an extremely fun game that allows you to live out your wildest dreams as a New Orleans Pelicans fan. Still, with the upcoming season nearing closer and closer, it’s important to keep expectations reasonable. Are the Pelicans going to win 42 games with their current cast? Maybe, but it’s silly to expect them to with all the changes occurring. Yet, with the season still over 20 days away, it’s not time yet to stop dreaming about what could be for the team’s future before the season kicks off.

More from Pelican Debrief

This article originally appeared on

share

Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Basketball Association