The New Orleans Pelicans media day added to the building excitement for the 2024-25 season. The Pelicans had their best regular season in over a decade last year. They picked up some much-needed pieces this offseason and are hoping to make a deep playoff run. Our 2024-25 NBA season betting preview will look at the Pelicans odds and see if taking their win total is worth your best NBA future bet.
2024-25 NBA Betting Preview: New Orleans Pelicans Win Total Odds
*All Pelicans odds are courtesy of FanDuel.com*
The Best Season in a While
The Pelicans finished last season with a record of 49-33, good for the seventh seed in the West. They made it out of the Play-In Tournament and were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Although their early playoff exit was disappointing, they didn’t have star Zion Williamson for their series against the Thunder. Nevertheless, the Pelicans went over their projected win total of 44.5.
"Scoring on Jonathan Isaac in the post, that ain't easy. That's worth a bucket and a half, he did it twice"
— Brian Windhorst reacting to Zion Williamson's highlights from game 1 of the preseason pic.twitter.com/Ub72Johpz2
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) October 7, 2024
Zion was the big difference-maker for the Pelicans last year. He played a career-high 70 games, averaging 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and five assists. Having Zion play the majority of the season helped the Pelicans improve by seven wins last year. Role players like Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III were also huge contributors to the Pelicans success.
Brandon Ingram continued to be a reliable second fiddle to Zion when he played, but he hasn’t played more than 65 games since his rookie season. Now he is waiting for a contract that the Pelicans are apprehensive to give him. His contract negotiations and attitude entering the season could change the vibes in New Orleans drastically.
A Point Guard Helps
Full trade on ESPN: Dejounte Murray for Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels, 2025 first-round pick (via Lakers), 2027 first-round pick (least favorable of Bucks-Pels) https://t.co/4BLEuDodqT
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 28, 2024
The Pelicans played all of last season without starting a traditional point guard. CJ McCollum did his best impression, but he is a natural shooting guard. Williamson also took a lot of the playmaking responsibilities, which worked well, but he will need more help this season.
The Pelicans went out and got that help by trading for Dejounte Murray. Not only is Murray an excellent defensive player to pair with McCollum in the backcourt, but has the passing and vision to help orchestrate the Pelicans offense. In his last season as a true point guard before getting paired with Trae Young in Atlanta, Murray averaged 9.2 assists per game for the Spurs.
New Orleans Pelicans Odds
Zion Williamson: With Dejounte, I was making a joke cause I joke with CJ, 'It's the first time in a while I've played with a real point guard'… With Dejounte, I'm setting certain screens and have to roll faster… Now you have a true PG who is looking to make the pass first pic.twitter.com/Qgc2tNlt5i
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) October 7, 2024
The Pelicans projected win total for next season is 45.5. The over is set at -118, and the under is at -104. The Pelicans have now improved on their win total in each of the last four seasons. Winning 49 games last season was their best since the 2008-09 season, so reaching that again next year is unlikely.
That being said, the Pelicans roster is more talented this year than last, and if Zion builds upon his excellent season, the Pelicans could contend at the top of the West. Murray will bring a defensive talent at the one that would help any team, and his floor general skills will also benefit the Pelicans greatly. Forty-six or more wins is not only doable for the Pelicans, but if Zion is healthy and they don’t trade Ingram, it is likely.
