Parsons missed the three-pointer, and Jones grabbed the offensive rebound, using his speed to beat Jokic.

Jokic's weight is indeed his biggest problem right now, making him look clumsy on the defensive end.

However, on the offensive end, Jokic continued to show his playmaking skills, passing the ball to Dinwiddie, who cut to the baseline, and the latter made a layup, scoring his first two points of his Pelicans career.

Although there are problems with his defense, his role on the offensive end is also very obvious, and he can become the offensive focus on the court.

Tang Tian also gave them a score one by one.

Jokic got 8 points. The 2 points deducted were for his performance on the defensive end, which will be difficult to improve before he loses weight.

Aminu's performance was 7 points. He played much better as a power forward than as a small forward. It seems that he will win in the competition with Teletovic.

Dinwiddie's performance was 5 points. He still has a long way to go before he matures.

Johnson's performance was 3 points. His defense is very poor, and he has not found his own position on offense. The hope of him staying is not high.

This is also reasonable.

Tang Tian chose them based on their historical performance, but it is unknown whether they can perform at that level after changing teams.

After all, players are people, not characters designed with parameters in a game. You can't be sure that you will be able to show your strength just because you selected them.

In the end, the Pelicans defeated the Rockets 86-78 at home.

Whiteside had 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks, Gordon had 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists, Ariza had 12 points and 4 rebounds, Cole had 9 points and 6 assists, and Jokic had 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.

After the game, Whiteside was very excited in the locker room.

Last season, he went in and out between the starting lineup and the bench. He practiced hard in the training camp for a whole summer this offseason, and he has improved significantly.

Judging from the first game, he has a high probability of locking in the Pelicans' starting center for the new season.

After resting for two days, the Pelicans flew to the Eastern Conference to play their second preseason game against the Heat.

The Heat experienced a major change in the summer, and their strength has plummeted. Wade didn't play in this game either.

Tang Tian and Davis played for the Pelicans, and they gave the Heat a 35-15 run in one quarter.

The home fans were quite disappointed. From a championship team to a bottom-dweller, it only took them one offseason.

However, in addition to the Heat's own weakness, the performance of the Pelicans' starting lineup was also impressive.

Tang Tian's breakthroughs looked much improved, Davis' low post offense was also there, and even Holiday and Ariza played with a very relaxed feeling.

In the end, the Pelicans easily defeated the Heat 92-78, with Tang Tian and Davis only playing for one quarter, and won two consecutive preseason games.

Tang Tian had 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists, and Davis had 6 points and 4 rebounds.

Whiteside continued his eye-catching performance, contributing 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks, Holiday had 15 points and 5 assists, Aminu had 8 points and 3 rebounds, and Jokic had 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.

After these two games, Williams basically had a good idea of the team's rotation.

In addition to Whiteside, who was firmly locked in as the starter, Ariza, who had regained his shooting skills, also locked in the starting position.

In the bench lineup, Jokic entered the rotation with his performance, and Aminu also successfully squeezed out Teletovic.

Time flew by, and in a blink of an eye, it was the end of October. The NBA preseason came to an end after nearly a month.

The Pelicans' final record was 6 wins and 1 loss.

Preseason wins and losses don't matter, but being able to achieve this result while mostly playing with substitutes is a great boost to the team's confidence.

In these 7 games, the coaching staff focused on examining several players.

Whiteside averaged 27.7 minutes per game, 14.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 60% and an average of only 2.6 fouls, a very eye-catching performance.

Ariza averaged 25.6 minutes per game, 11.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals, with a three-point shooting percentage of 42%. He became the answer for the Pelicans' small forward position.

Aminu averaged 20.2 minutes per game, 6.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals, with a shooting percentage of 47%. As a backup power forward, his performance was not bad.

Teletovic averaged 13.3 minutes per game, 5.3 points, and 2.1 rebounds, with a three-point shooting percentage of 41%. Although his performance was not good, his three-pointers still allowed him to occupy a place on the Pelicans.

Jokic averaged 18.8 minutes per game, 8.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, with a shooting percentage of 53%. Except for defensive problems, he looked like he was full of talent.

Dinwiddie averaged 15.6 minutes per game, 4.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists, with a shooting percentage of 39%. He needs to work harder if he wants to enter the rotation.

Tyler Johnson averaged 10.8 minutes per game, 2.1 points, with a shooting percentage of 29%. He will most likely be cut.

There are only 5 days between the end of the preseason and the official start of the regular season. During this period, the Pelicans successively completed the layoffs.

Tyler Johnson, Patrick Young, and Jeff Withey were successively cut.

With this wave of layoffs, the Pelicans' roster for the new season was also released.

Starting lineup: Holiday, Tang Tian, Ariza, Davis, Whiteside;

Bench: Cole, Gordon, Morrow, Aminu, Jokic;

Reserves: Dinwiddie, Shved, Metta World Peace, Evans, Teletovic;

"Guys, let's make a big splash!"

In the last training session before the start of the regular season, Metta World Peace called out to the players.

As the team's locker room leader, his shout was echoed by the players in unison.

The current Pelicans have talented players, talented rookies, and veterans to hold the field. They really want to make a big splash in the new season!

Their opponent in the season opener is the Trail Blazers.

The Trail Blazers had 50 wins last season but failed to enter the playoffs, which was a bit unlucky.

But this cannot hide their strength. Lillard and Aldridge's Gemini stars, plus Batum, Matthews, Robin Lopez and other excellent role players.

Like the Pelicans, they are also one of the teams that are most eager to prove themselves in the new season.

However, unlike the Pelicans, they are one of the teams favored by ESPN. They rank sixth in the strength prediction list.

So whether the Trail Blazers prove themselves worthy of this strength or the Pelicans slap ESPN in the face in this game is attracting much attention.

"We don't just want to make the playoffs in the new season, our goal is the championship."

In a pre-match interview, Trail Blazers' core player Lillard was full of ambition.

Lillard's fighting spirit and ruthlessness are rare in the league, and it is also an important reason for his high popularity.

You must know that he has not yet been selected to the All-Star team, but he has signed a huge endorsement contract with Adidas for 10 years and 100 million this past summer.

He has also become Adidas' top player, joining the ranks of NBA players with signature shoes.

This game is not only an encounter between two strong teams, but also a clash of popularity between Tang Tian and Lillard.

Before the game, the players from both teams were making final preparations in the locker room.

"Tang, my 2k rating has gone up again!"

Whiteside shouted excitedly to Tang Tian while holding his phone at this time.

Tang Tian took the phone and looked at it. Whiteside's rating had been changed from 59 to 65.

This guy had been talking about 2k giving him too few points last season. After this preseason, he finally got his wish.

"It will get higher and higher."

Tang Tian reached out and touched his head and said.

Judging from the preseason, Whiteside is in excellent condition. If he continues to start, this value will definitely continue to rise.

ps: Are you running out of books? I would like to recommend the new book by Quan Jin Shu Dan Ke, the author of *Golden Fishery*. The name is very European, *Bringing the Immortal Sect to Mix in Northern Europe*. If you are interested, you can check it out. I have read it and it is very good.