Getty New Orleans Pelicans teammates Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday
The New Orleans Pelicans hit the ground running to start to the NBA season, winning four-straight out of the gate. Unfortunately, they cooled off quickly, dropping their next five games and now look to right the ship Monday night on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
One key to the tough stretch was the absence of Anthony Davis, who missed three games. His return last game against the San Antonio Spurs wasn’t enough to help get back in the win column, as the team lost 109-95. Davis is seemingly good to go for this game against Russell Westbrook and the Thunder, but the Pelicans will again be without Elfrid Payton.
Payton is dealing with an ankle injury, and as Daniel Sallerson of the Pelicans reported, he said he could return within a week or so. The Pelicans have tried two different lineups (which included Davis) to replace the point guard, but neither worked out incredibly well.
With that said, let’s take a look at the projected starting lineup and roster for the Pelicans Monday night.
Pelicans’ Projected Starting Lineup & Roster vs. Thunder
*Notates expected starter
C: Anthony Davis*, Jahlil Okafor
PF: Nikola Mirotic*, Julius Randle, Cheick Diallo
SF: E’Twaun Moore*, Wesley Johnson, Darius Miller, Solomon Hill
SG: Jrue Holiday*, Ian Clark
PG: Tim Frazier*, Frank Jackson
The Pelicans opted to start Wesley Johnson over Tim Frazier last game against the Spurs, which was more than a bit surprising. But Frazier wound up playing just seven minutes in that game. With that said, there’s a chance Alvin Gentry could opt to change things up once again with the lineup in an attempt to snap this losing streak.
Johnson only played 21 minutes in his starting role, while Julius Randle saw 26 minutes off the bench, along with 19 for Ian Clark and 14 for Darius Miller. This could be a situation to monitor ahead of game time, but the Spurs have a bit more size than the Thunder. In turn, it’s expected that Frazier will return to the starting five.
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