3 Western Conference NBA teams to watch in the final stretch
By Duncan Smith
2. New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans seem like they should be a team on the rise, but their mediocre 21-26 record belies that. They sit 12th in the Western Conference, 1.5 games out of the all-important 10-seed, and they’ve won six of their past 10 games but overall have struggled to gain or maintain any positive momentum.
Zion Williamson has proven himself as a world-bending force of nature on the offensive end, but he’s just in his second year. He can’t be faulted for not being a LeBron James-like singular force of winning just yet, though. Not many are, and at least from a statistical impact standpoint, Zion is way ahead of pace.
The Pelicans have their work cut out for them to get back into the playoff mix, or even into the play-in. The 22-26 Sacramento Kings are playing decent basketball and refuse to go away in 11th, and the Golden State Warriors are 10th at 23-25 with an injured Stephen Curry. If he isn’t able to return in a timely fashion, the Pelicans may find that their chances improve a bit.
Whether they make a legitimate playoff push or not, Zion Williamson remains a compelling reason to watch this team every single night. Nevertheless, a run for at least the 10-seed would make things a bit more interesting.