Are New Orleans Pelicans Ranking in Latest Power Rankings a Fair Placement?

The Pelicans have a lot of burning questions that need to be answered next season.

Dec 31, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) and forward Brandon Ingram (14) share a laugh after a play against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the New Orleans Pelicans heading into the 2024-2025 season. Who will start at center for the team? Will Brandon Ingram get traded? Will Zion Williamson stay healthy enough to play in his first-ever postseason? Kurt Helin of NBC Sports News posted his latest Power Rankings for next season, admitting some of these concerns don't place the Pelicans higher on the list.

New Orleans came in at the No. 14th slot, third in their division behind the Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies.

The Pelicans made one of the bold and best moves of the offseason, trading for Dejounte Murray and pairing him with CJ McCollum in a quality backcourt. However, they failed to acquire a starting center, nor did they find a trade for Brandon Ingram (and he and Murray seem to be a poor fit together). New Orleans has an unquestionably talented roster when Zion Williamson is healthy and on the court, but the fit of everyone around him seems off and that puts a lot of pressure on coach Willie Green to make it all work.

The team is coming off its second-best record in franchise history (49) and just acquired a young, dynamic two-way player in Dejounte Murray. New Orleans fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of last year's playoffs. OKC came in at No. 2 on this list.  

New Orleans lost a ton of frontcourt depth after Jonas Valanciunas and Cody Zeller left in free agency. Backup big man Larry Nance, Jr. went to Atlanta as part of the trade to bring Murray to New Orleans.

New Orleans drafted Yves Missi with their first-round pick from the University of Baylor. Missi has a high ceiling but is seen as a project to start his career. He has only played three years of organized basketball, so there definitely is a learning curve he'll need to overcome. The Pelicans also signed veteran center Daniel Theis to a one-year deal earlier this month. Theis is undersized at 6-foot-8 and has started 151 games in his career.

One of the team's biggest issues is health at the right time. Star forward Zion Williamson played the most games of his career (70), yet missed the postseason after injuring his hamstring against the Los Angeles Lakers during the Play-In Tournament. His counterpart, Brandon Ingram, played the most games since his rookie season (64) but hyperextended his knee late in the season. The injury seemed to limit him in the playoffs.

New Orleans has made the playoffs in two of the three years under head coach Willie Green. The team was bounced in the first round of the playoffs in both of those years. New Orleans has not made it past the first round of the playoffs since 2018.