NBA Power Rankings 18: A new top team as the playoffs approach

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23. team. 69. . 26-34. Previous: 23rd. New Orleans Pelicans

Last Week: Lost/OT to New York Knicks 122-112, Lost to Brooklyn Nets 134-129, Beat Orlando Magic 135-100, Lost to San Antonio Spurs 110-108

This Week: 4/26 vs. LA Clippers, 4/28 at Denver Nuggets, 4/29 at Oklahoma City Thunder, 5/1 at Minnesota Timberwolves

Finding the fix for the New Orleans Pelicans will not come easy. The team as a whole is young and it takes time to build something around a 20-year old superstar but continuing to blow double-digit leads is an alarming trend for any team that needs to be corrected. Stan Van Gundy has been calling the team out publicly to no avail.

The fit of this roster just does not work. There is no fix for that during the season so hoping that the talent of Lonzo Ball, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram would get them over the top was doomed to fail. Shelling out so much money for Steven Adams when they were already anchored down by Eric Bledsoe is brutal. Combined with the stunning drop-off of Bledsoe and the recipe for disaster is unsurprising.

This summer is far more important than anything that happens over the next few weeks. Williamson is still dominant, averaging 30.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game this week. Ingram is not far behind at 24.8 points, 5.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. Moving the rest of the roster around to fit next to their All-Stars will make or break their future.