New Orleans Pelicans: Looking at who got better/worse in the Western Conference

Kawhi Leonard has finally decided which organization he’s going to represent next season, and he brought a friend along for the ride with him. The New Orleans Pelicans aren’t going to have it easy in the west, let’s look at each inner conference foe.

The dust has cleared, the make-up of the western conference is now clearly visible to the naked eye. A historically competitive conference is going to be just that in the 2019/20 season. It’s a lot to ask of the newly restructured New Orleans Pelicans to berth a spot in the playoffs—but it’s still not exactly unrealistic.

Some teams got better, significantly better, others either stagnated or their decline is slowly beginning. The Pelicans struck gold in free agency, not breaking the bank but finding players of value that complement the rebuild.

However, Alvin Gentry and company have their work cut out in front of them. Finding a rotation that works is easier said than done. Chemistry, floor spacing, and defensive intensity all have to be factored in as well as who should close out games down the stretch. The Pelicans play 52 inner conference games next season and their success relies on them holding their own out west.

Let’s break down each team, division-by-division, to figure out where they stand next year.