The New Orleans Pelicans finished on a high note last season, battling their way through the play-in tournament to claim the 8th seed in the Western Conference.
With Zion Williamson returning to go along with rookie Dyson Daniels, and full seasons from CJ McCollum and Larry Nance Jr., optimism abounds in New Orleans.
Unlike last season when expectations were crushed by an abysmal start, the Pelicans will enter next season with their eyes on an NBA championship.
The Western Conference is as open as it has ever been, with no clear-cut favorite heading into next season. So ho high can the New Orleans Pelicans climb in the standings?
The New Orleans Pelicans should stay ahead of these teams
There are eight teams that are either young, rebuilding or lost key players this offseason. Nothing is certain obviously, and a few of these teams could surprise, but the Pelicans have a good chance to finish ahead of this group:
- Houston Rockets: An intriguing group of young talent for sure. I think they will be very frisky but are still probably a year away from making real noise in the Western Conference. Out of all of the “bad” teams, the Rockets are one to keep an eye on.
- OKC Thunder: Same with the Thunder, who might finally be ready to compete after stockpiling young talent over the last few seasons and adding Chet Holmgren, who looked amazing in Summer League. I think the Thunder are going to make a leap, but not enough to bypass the Pels.
- Portland Trail Blazers: Will adding Jerami Grant make that big of a difference to a team that struggled mightily last season? Will Damian Lillard be healthy? A lot of question marks in Portland.
- Sacramento Kings: The Kings made the big trade last season and added rookie Keegan Murray along with a trio of shooters. The Kings could be interesting this season, but until I see otherwise, they are still the Kangz.
- Los Angeles Lakers: Talk about question marks. The Lakers obviously have two of the best players in the NBA when they are healthy, but will they be? LeBron is entering his 500th season and Anthony Davis gets hurt brushing his teeth. They didn’t really add anything to make me think things are going to go differently unless they get 70+ healthy games from this duo. The Pelicans own their picks, so are hoping to see the Lakers slide even more.
- Utah Jazz: The Jazz have already traded away Rudy Gobert and are reportedly listening to offers on Donovan Mitchell, so it’s hard to see them being better next season. If they trade Mitchell, they are headed to the lottery.
- San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs are apparently rebuilding after trading start Dejounte Murray. They have a lot of young talent but it feels like they will take a step back next season after losing Murray. You can never count out the Spurs and you know Popovich will have his young team playing hard and prepared.
New Orleans Pelicans: The crowded Western Conference
The West should be fiercely competitive next season with a group of teams who are all fairly equally talented and should be neck-and-neck in the standings all year. I think these four teams will be bunched up with the New Orleans Pelicans battling for a top four seed:
- Dallas Mavericks: So far the Mavs have lost Jalen Brunson this offseason and added Christian Wood, a move that probably isn’t going to move the needle. As long as they have Luka Doncic, the Mavs will be battling for a playoff spot, though they may be worse next season unless they make some additions.
- Denver Nuggets: They will still have two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, so next season will just come down to the health of their secondary stars. If Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are healthy, they are a contender, if not, they are probably a 6-7 seed again.
- Memphis Grizzlies: So far at least, Memphis will be running it back with more-or-less the same squad that claimed the 2nd seed last season. The Grizzlies do have a lot of potential trade assets and could make a move for another star to put around Ja Morant. When fully healthy, I think the Pelicans are on par with them talent-wise, but the Grizzlies are a very good team with solid chemistry and the chance to get better.
- Minnesota Timberwolves: The Wolves made the biggest splash of the offseason, adding Rudy Gobert to a team that was pretty good last season. Will he gel with Karl-Anthony Towns? Will Anthony Edwards make another leap and become a legit superstar? This team could be a contender next season for sure and will look to move into the top half of the Western Conference.
New Orleans Pelicans: The contenders and final predictions
There are three teams who will be picked to be at the top of the Western Conference next season:
- Los Angeles Clippers: This will all come down to health, as the Clippers have one of the deepest rosters in the NBA, but are built around guys who have not stayed healthy much. Getting Kawhi Leonard back and adding John Wall should make the Clippers one of the teams to beat in the West, but they have to stay healthy.
- Phoenix Suns: I think the Suns could potentially implode next season, but they had the best record in the league, so they have to be mentioned in this group, especially after retaining Deandre Ayton. The Pelicans gave the Suns all they could handle in the playoffs and would love to get another crack at them next season, just in a later round.
- Golden State Warriors: The defending champs will run it back with their core with the addition of James Wiseman and another year of growth for their young guys. Until someone knocks them off, Stephen Curry and the Warriors are the team to beat in the West.
So where does that leave the New Orleans Pelicans? It’s hard to see the Pels knocking off the three teams above if they are healthy and at full strength, but they could easily be competing for the 4th seed next season.
I do think they will make the leap from that play-in group into the top-6 of the Western Conference, but as you can see, it is not going to be easy, as just about every team in the West got better this offseason.