3. New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans only won 33 games despite having a ton of talent on their roster last year. The main reason for a disappointing season was health. Anthony Davis missed 26 games, and Jrue Holiday missed 15 games. With Davis gone, the franchise knows what they have going forward.
New Orleans got quite the haul with an array of draft picks, and Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart. You add that with star Jrue Holiday and the first pick in Zion Williamson, and it’s one scary young team. The Pelicans are letting the world know that they are not rebuilding. They signed quality veterans Derrick Favors and J.J. Redick.
The only question will be how Alvin Gentry makes the lineups work and how they play together. If you look at the quality of the roster, there’s certainly no holes here. I expect this team to fight for one of the final two playoff spots. Ingram should have a huge year, and Zion may win Rookie of the Year. Holiday, a true professional who does it all on the court, is perfect to lead the way.