Zion Williamson and Key Pelicans Players to Watch vs. the Trail Blazers - April 9

Joel Embiid carries the weight of expectations differently than others. As his fanbase and national media have constructed stories that have him as the potential messiah in a decade-long process of experimental team-building, coupled with the unusual rabidity of Philadelphia sports fans, he has accepted this role sincerely.

Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers: Players to Watch

Pelicans Key Players

Zion Williamson averages 22.9 points, 5.8 boards and 5.0 assists, shooting 58.0% from the field (10th in league).

Jonas Valanciunas averages 12.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

McCollum is averaging 19.5 points, 4.3 boards and 4.6 assists. At the other end, he averages 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocked shots.

Herbert Jones is averaging 11.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

Trey Murphy III is averaging 14.1 points, 2.1 assists and 4.7 boards.

Trail Blazers Key Players

Deandre Ayton's numbers on the season are 16.4 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per contest. He is also draining 57.6% of his shots from the field.

The Trail Blazers are receiving 21.0 points, 3.5 boards and 2.8 assists per game from Jerami Grant.

Per game, Scoot Henderson gets the Trail Blazers 13.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists, plus 0.7 steals and 0.2 blocks.

The Trail Blazers are getting 8.8 points, 6.9 boards and 1.0 assists per game from Jabari Walker.

The Trail Blazers get 7.5 points per game from Toumani Camara, plus 4.9 boards and 1.2 assists.

Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers Stat Insights

New Orleans Key Stats

The Pelicans are outscoring opponents by 4.5 points per game with a +351 scoring differential overall. They put up 115.0 points per game (13th in the NBA) and give up 110.5 per contest (eighth in the league).

New Orleans comes out on top in the rebound battle by an average of 1.8 boards. It is grabbing 44.1 rebounds per game (10th in the league) compared to its opponents' 42.3 per contest.

The Pelicans make 12.2 three-pointers per game (20th in the league), 1.3 fewer than their opponents (13.5).

New Orleans' 114.9 points per 100 possessions on offense rank 10th in the NBA, and the 109.9 points it allows per 100 possessions rank sixth in the league.

Portland Key Stats

The Trail Blazers have been outscored by 8.7 points per game (posting 106.9 points per game, 28th in league, while allowing 115.6 per outing, 19th in NBA) and have a -674 scoring differential.

Portland comes up short in the rebound battle by an average of 1.2 boards. It records 42.4 rebounds per game (24th in league) compared to its opponents' 43.6.

The Trail Blazers connect on 11.5 three-pointers per game (27th in the league), while their opponents have made 11.7 on average.

Portland ranks 29th in the NBA with 105.4 points scored per 100 possessions, and 23rd defensively with 114.5 points conceded per 100 possessions.

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