The New Orleans Pelicans will be one of 22 teams competing when the NBA season re-starts, but where do they rank heading into Orlando?
The New Orleans Pelicans were just 28-36 when play was suspended, hardly a record worth bragging about.
But they did most of that without the services of Zion Williamson, and the Pelicans were a much different team when the big man returned from injury.
The New Orleans Pelicans’ starting lineup was the most efficient in the NBA, outscoring opponents by 26.3 points per 100 possessions.
It’s safe to say that the Pelicans are not the same team that started the season 6-22 and had lost 13 games in a row.
You can throw records out the window at this point, as it is all about what these teams do with the eight games remaining on their schedule and the playoffs if they make it.
Here is where we think the 22 teams stand heading into Orlando. This takes into account how they were playing before play was suspended as well as their overall health and talent.
#22: Washington Wizards
Let’s face it, the Wizards shouldn’t be in this. They were only let in because NBA needed another team and didn’t want to acknowledge how bad the Eastern Conference really is.
The Wizards were 5.5 games behind the Magic, who are five games under .500. Let’s move on.
#21: Phoenix Suns
I was tempted to just put all of the Eastern Conference teams at the bottom, but decided to be fair. The Suns started the season hot but fell off and weren’t playing well before the break, winning just four of six. It would be surprising if they made any noise in the eight-game finale.
#20: San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs are an enigma. They’re not very good and any other team would probably be tanking but the Spurs always seem to be able to win with less. They are well coached, but that’s about it and Pop is probably not enough to overcome the lack of experience and talent. They did have a nice win over the Mavericks just before the break, but that was after getting blown out by the Nets and Cavaliers in the two games before.
#19: Orlando Magic
A frisky team that doesn’t have a star, but has a whole lot of really solid players. They were playing well before the break, winning six of 10 with impressive wins over the Rockets and Grizzlies. Orlando could potentially play spoiler to any team that doesn’t take them seriously.
#18: Brooklyn Nets
This obviously assumes that Kevin Durant does not come leaping out of the shadows, as the Nets would be much higher. They were playing well heading into the break and will be healthier (even without Durant) but they also fired their coach and have had no time to play together since. It’s hard to imagine the Nets doing much with a new coach and no Kyrie Irving or Durant.