The New Orleans Pelicans host the Orlando Magic on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET in what is surely the least anticipated of the three opening-night games. The other two are on NBA TV, while this is only available on League Pass. But that doesn’t mean this is irrelevant. Nope, not to you, dear NBA devotee. This is the debut of the 2014-2015 version of the Brow, and it's your first chance to laugh at the fact there is a real arena called the Smoothie King Center. Sure, watch the champs and the Mavs live, but set your DVRs, too. Here are five things to watch:
1. Anthony Davis is ready to devour the NBA. It’s old news that Davis is the league’s next superstar. He’s also the No. 1 weird and awesome reason to be pumped about the season, if we’re going by CBSSports.com’s Matt Moore’s official list. Davis has the kind of transcendent talent every franchise is desperate to acquire in the draft; more important, he’s a truly unique player in every sense of the word. He can shock a spot-up shooter by blocking his 3-point shot, recover the rebound and go coast-to-coast with relative ease. You’ve seen him do that, you’ve seen him dunk on people, you’ve seen him hit outside shots. Let’s see what he looks like with a bit more confidence, bulk and room to roam defensively with Omer Asik next to him.
2. Can the Magic score? Victor Oladipo and Channing Frye are arguably this team’s two most important players, and they’re both out of the lineup. So, uh, where is Orlando going to get its offense? It could still be fine in transition with Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon running around, but the halfcourt might be uuuuugly. Let’s see how this works.
(Fun fact: Kyle O’Quinn attempted seven 3-pointers in the preseason, and he made four of them! Who needs Frye?)
3. What will the Pelicans’ rotation look like? The frontcourt is interesting because Davis, Asik and Ryan Anderson are all so good. Who plays at the end of the game? The wing is interesting because of … well … entirely different reasons. It looks like head coach Monty Williams is going with Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans in the starting lineup, which means the bench is rather thin. You’re looking at Austin Rivers, Darius Miller, Luke Babbitt and John Salmons here. Also, this is the year Jimmer Fredette establishes himself as a rotation player — get excited!
4. Elfrid! Did you know Elfrid Payton’s Twitter handle is @elfrid? Because it is, and that’s just good marketing. Payton’s first NBA game will be played in his hometown, and the rookie will have the ball in his hands a whole lot because of Oladipo’s broken face. Regardless of whether Vaughn decides to start him or veteran Luke Ridnour, he’ll have a ton of playmaking responsibility. Will Payton stand out?
5. Is this the year of Tyreke? The aforementioned Matt Moore predicted that Evans would win Most Improved Player this year, and there’s good logic to that pick. Evans was excellent for the Pelicans in March and April of last season, but very few people were paying any attention. If he can build on that and New Orleans can stay healthy, this team is capable of making some noise. You’re obviously going to be paying attention to Davis more than anybody else, but don’t be surprised if your eyes get drawn to what Evans is doing against the Magic’s wings.
