New Orleans Pelicans: 3 realistic team goals for the 2021-22 season

The New Orleans Pelicans finished 11th in the Western Conference last season and it’s not clear if they have improved enough to better that mark next season.

The Pels have made some big changes to the roster and will have three new faces in the starting lineup as well as a new head coach.

Given that they are one of the youngest teams in the NBA, it would be easy to write next season off as another rebuilding year.

But the Pelicans need to start building a winner around Zion Williamson sooner rather than later, so can’t waste too many more seasons without an obvious path to improvement.

There are a lot of unknowns going into next season and the Pels could certainly outperform predictions, but they could also take a big step back if things go badly.

Here are three realistic team goals that will help them take the next step on their timeline for contention.

New Orleans Pelicans: Have a winning record in the Southwest Division

Last season, the Pelicans were just 18-24 against the Western Conference and 6-6 against teams in the Southwest Division.

If the Pels really want to climb the power rankings in the Western Conference, then they need to perform better against the teams in West, specifically the ones in their own division.

The Rockets are rebuilding and even younger than the Pelicans, so the Pels need to dominate them. The Spurs and Grizzlies are two teams the Pelicans will be battling for playoff spots and the Mavericks are the team they need to overcome.

Even though divisions are largely meaningless in the modern NBA, three of these teams were directly above the Pelicans in the standings last season, so if they want to improve in the West, it starts by winning in the Southwest.