ESPN will not air the Golden State Warriors vs New Orleans Pelicans tomorrow after initially planning to showcase the marquee matchup.
The people wanted Stephen Curry vs Zion Williamson, not Jrue Holiday vs D’Angelo Russell. While the latter is still a quality matchup, the Golden State Warriors vs New Orleans Pelicans has lost its allure without those two stars.
Let’s be honest though. The Warriors are 5-24.
They aren’t a team that the national public wants to see. Most casual NBA fans do not care about this Golden State Warriors roster without Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on the court. The exodus of Kevin Durant also hurt the Warriors’ popularity.
But, with multiple primetime appearances left in the season, Warriors fans still have their Christmas Day outing to look forward to. That said, this report was first brought to light by USA Today’s Mark Medina, who noted that the Lakers-Mavs will be taking over in its place.
ESPN will no longer televise the Warriors-Pelicans game on Friday. That was considered a marquee game opening the season presuming a healthy Steph Curry and Zion Williamson. That is no longer the case. ESPN also picking up Lakers-Mavs game on Dec. 29
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) December 17, 2019
The Warriors-Pelicans was scheduled for this Friday and obviously will still be played. Two of the worst teams in the West, it’s obvious that these two teams aren’t going to attract the eyes without their superstars, and it was likely a good business decision by ESPN.
While the Dubs have just five wins, there have been a few silver linings this season.
Star point guard D’Angelo Russell has had a few incredible performances including a 52-point breakout game against the Timberwolves. He’s averaging just under 22 points per game, a career-high.
Aside from Russell, Eric Paschall, the Warriors 23-year-old second-round pick, has been one of the best rookies in the NBA.
While his average was up to over 17 points per game at one time, he’s now under 16.1 per game. Paschall is making his impact felt in the majority of games and could be one of the few rookies in the running for Rookie of the Year.
The Warriors will be hoping to rebound next season as they’ll get a healthy Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson back on the court.