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.
New Orleans Pelicans: Power ranking the Western Conference #12-10
#12- Houston Rockets
I really like the way the Rockets have rebuilt their roster on the fly. They didn’t get a ton from the James Harden trade, bottomed out last season, and after drafting Jalen Green, have a nice young roster around John Wall.
If Wall can get back to form and play a full season, the Rockets might surprise some people, as they have guys like Green, Porter Jr. and Christian Wood who can get up the floor and score.
They had a great draft grabbing Usman Garuba, Josh Christopher and Alperen Sengun to go with Green, so the Rockets could be better than people think.
I also think they will end up being one of the biggest rivals of the New Orleans Pelicans.
#11- San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs are never a team you want to count out and they too have some really talented young players.
But the Spurs lost DeMar DeRozan and replaced him with Doug McDermott while also taking a project player in Josh Primo in the draft.
I think the Spurs are one of the teams the New Orleans Pelicans could overtake in the West.
#10- Memphis Grizzlies
It’s funny to me that national media has attacked the Pelicans for their offseason, but has mostly left the Grizzlies alone even though theirs was arguably even more confusing.
The Grizzlies have made so many moves that it is hard to keep up, but did they actually get any better? They swapped centers with the Pelicans and the Pels got the better guy. They added Juancho Hernangomez in a recent trade and still have some talented young defenders around Ja Morant, but I think the Pels won that trade and will be slightly better because of it.
I also think the Pelicans got a steal in Trey Murphy III, who could end up being better than Ziaire Williams even though he was taken seven spots later in the draft.
New Orleans Pelicans: Western Conference power rankings #9-6
#9- New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans have gone in a very different direction this offseason, shipping out three starters and going with a much younger and more dynamic roster.
They are counting heavily on guys who are in their first, second or third year in the league and also have a new head coach, so this could go a lot of ways.
I do think the Pelicans have improved their shooting and are much-better defensively, especially the bench, which will feature versatile defenders like Naji Marshall, Murphy III and Herb Jones.
Can they overcome their youth and inexperience? Will Jonas Valanciunas be enough of an upgrade to matter? Can Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram improve their defense? With so many question marks, it is tough to rank the Pelicans any higher and this might even be a tad optimistic.
If everything goes right, the Pelicans should at least make the play-in tournament, which I think is a reasonable goal in their timeline.
#8- Portland Trail Blazers
The Trail Blazers are always going to be playoff contenders as long as they have Damian Lillard, but they didn’t do much to improve their roster other than changing out coaches for a guy who angered the fanbase.
If the Blazers get out to a slow start, expect the Lillard trade rumors to start flying and for the New Orleans Pelicans to be one of the teams that gets mentioned.
#7- Dallas Mavericks
Like the Blazers, the Mavericks probably didn’t do enough to build around their superstar. The big X-factor will be Kristaps Porzingis. If he plays near an All-Star level and is healthy all season, the Mavs could climb higher behind Luka Doncic.
But if he doesn’t, expect Porzingis to be another guy whose name gets mentioned in trade rumors.
The Mavericks will be good as long as they have Luka, who will be a frontrunner for MVP, but I still don’t see a championship roster around him and they could be worse.
#6- Phoenix Suns
The Suns overachieved last season when they made the Finals and I see them taking a step back next season.
They didn’t make any big additions, and it’s hard for me to imagine Chris Paul continuing at this level forever. I’m probably being foolish for underestimating Paul but if he gets injured the Suns will fall in the standings.
I like the Suns, but I just think some of the other teams in the West improved more than they did.
New Orleans Pelicans: Western Conference power rankings #5-1
#5- Los Angeles Clippers
This is where things start getting tough, as all of the rest of these teams are good and very similar in talent level.
I just don’t believe in the Clippers depth, so it will only take an injury to one of their two stars to derail them. I think every team in the top-5 could win the title, so I wouldn’t count the Clippers out but adding Eric Bledsoe as your big move is not that inspiring.
#4- Utah Jazz
The Jazz will once again be solid. They had the best record in the West last season but didn’t make any major additions. They still have a great balance of offense and defense and I liked their draft, as Jared Butler could be a steal.
They are a contender to win the West once again, but I don’t think they did enough to hold onto the top spot.
#3- Golden State Warriors
The Warriors are the team I see making the biggest move up the Western Conference power rankings.
No team in the West got a guy as good as Klay Thompson, who is fully healthy and ready to rejoin MVP candidate Stephen Curry in the Warriors’ backcourt.
They have a good mix of youth and veterans and added guys like Otto Porter Jr. and Moses Moody, who should improve their depth.
The Warriors also have a big trade sitting there waiting to happen, and if they able to swap someone like James Wiseman for a player like Jerami Grant, they could win the title next season.
This is probably the biggest hit or miss team on the list, but it’s hard to bet against the Splash Brothers if they are healthy.
#2- Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets have the MVP, a healthy Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. ready to become a star. They added some depth and I love Bones Hyland, the player they selected in the draft.
It may be a boring pick, as the Nuggets have been a good regular season team for years but could this be the season they finally break through and win a title? I like them as a title pick, especially if the next team flounders.
#1- Los Angles Lakers
It seems like the Lakers have signed nearly every veteran player in the NBA this offseason and their season could be tanked by the fact that they are the oldest team in the league by far.
They added Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo, DeAndre Jordan and Kendrick Nunn, so the Lake Show will have more quality depth than they did last season.
Oh yeah, they still have LeBron James, who is healthy and on a mission, and the hated Anthony Davis, who is one of the best two-way players in the game.
If the Lakers stay healthy, they have the talent and depth to win it all, but that’s a big if, which is why they signed half the league this offseason.