Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 most intriguing matchups of 2019-20 season

#3: At home vs. the New Orleans Pelicans – Jan. 28, 2020

Despite no longer having AD on the team, the Pels are, in my opinion, the league’s most intriguing team in 2019-20; that’s likely why (per Pels’ Twitter) they are on national television a franchise-record 30 times this upcoming season.

Obviously, them drafting potential superstar Zion Williamson first overall was enough to watch in itself, and then factoring in two other notable rookies (both acquired via reported trade) Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jaxson Hayes, and those are another two potential key additions to their rotation in coming years and beyond.

Both of the last two played great in Summer League, and I would imagine all three will all be significant contributors.

Along with that, prior Cavs general manager and now-Pels executive VP of Basketball Operations David Griffin believes that New Orleans will “probably play the fastest style of ball that’s been played, maybe ever,” (per Sports Illustrated’s Jake Fischer).

The Pels new additions of the aforementioned Ball, Ingram and Hart fit right into that uptempo style, and all can be key defensive pieces on the perimeter for New Orleans, too, as does Jrue Holiday and Pels’ free agent addition J.J. Redick, who is one of the best three-point shooters in the league and will make New Orleans even more dangerous offensively.

With all that running from the Pelicans, though, Sexton, Osman, Garland, Windler, Love and Porter should have their fair share of transition opportunities, too, and the Cavs should get plenty of free throws in this one.

Or conversely, if Cleveland head coach John Beilein wants, perhaps the Cavaliers elect to keep them at a more controlled pace, and I’d imagine the Cavs throw in a few zone looks here and there to keep the driving lanes at a minimum for Williamson in spurts when the 35-year-old Redick is off the floor and try to force Ball to be a scorer more.

This one probably will get away from the Cavs at some point, but I think they’ll be in it close to three quarters, because I see pieces such as Ante Zizic and Love being able to make their hay inside and I’m still not totally sure if the Pelicans can defend consistently on the interior against post-up threats, but individuallly Ball is a really tough perimeter defender, along with Holiday, and I see Garland, Porter and perhaps Matthew Dellavedova coughing it up against that ball pressure on a number of occasions throughout the game, which is understandable.

Either way, this is a game that’d be probably really fun to be at with Zion only being in town once a year for a while.

Plus, I still think the Cavs will be able to hang around.

The other matchup in New Orleans, though, I’ll say the Pelicans get the W in a wire-to-wire fashion.