The New Orleans Pelicans will have a very different roster next season than the one that finished in 11th place in the Western Conference.
Whether they have improved is debatable, while some of the other teams have definitely gotten better, so where does that leave the Pelicans in the Western Conference power rankings?
Let’s take a look.
New Orleans Pelicans: Western Conference power rankings
#15- Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder will have the youngest team in the NBA, so even though they have some intriguing talent, it’s hard to see them climbing in the Western Conference.
I think the Thunder will be a super pesky team that will play hard, but ultimately they are rebuilding and still looking for draft status over wins.
#14- Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves really shouldn’t be this bad but until they prove to me that they aren’t, I will assume they’ll be near the bottom of the conference again.
They didn’t make any significant additions after having to give their draft pick to the Warriors, so they will be counting on internal improvement from a team that won 23 games last season. Is this the year they finally improve?
#13- Sacramento Kings
Like the Timberwolves, the Kings didn’t make any big additions that would lead me to believe they’ll be much better.
The Kings still have a move or two to make and could end up trading Buddy Hield, as they have too many guards at the moment. Davion Mitchell could end up being a steal and if the Kings can make a trade to get more balanced roster, they could make a small leap but I have them out of the playoffs once again.