Power Rankings
Overall Ranking: 12th
Tier: Playoff Locks
Projected Seeding: 7th in West
The New Orleans Anthony Davis'... err, I mean... the New Orleans Pelicans, have built a solid squad around well, Anthony Davis! "The Unibrow" is an absolute freak of nature, averaging 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.9 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game while hitting 53.5% of his shots from the field and 80.5% from the charity stripe. The scariest part? He's only 22 years old, and is already an MVP-frontrunner and perhaps the best player on the planet. It would be nice if the rest of New Orleans' starting five were four Anthony Davis-clones, but alas, PG Jrue Holiday, SG Eric Gordon, SF/SG Tyreke Evans, and C Omer Asik will have to do. The backcourt has potential, as all three of those players have experienced several highs and lows throughout their careers, but many of these past issues can be attributed due to injuries. C Omer Asik got paid like a star this offseason, but all he really does is rebound and help alleviate some of Davis' interior defense responsibilities, as Asik struggles on the offensive end. The bench is shabby as well, with PG Norris Cole and PF Ryan Anderson being the only legitimate rotation players beyond the starting five. However, this team still has a mega-super-duper-star in Davis, and as the 2000s Cavaliers can attest: that will get you into the playoffs year after year for sure, but anything beyond that will need a better supporting cast.
Overall Ranking: 12th
Tier: Playoff Locks
Projected Seeding: 7th in West
The New Orleans Anthony Davis'... err, I mean... the New Orleans Pelicans, have built a solid squad around well, Anthony Davis! "The Unibrow" is an absolute freak of nature, averaging 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.9 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game while hitting 53.5% of his shots from the field and 80.5% from the charity stripe. The scariest part? He's only 22 years old, and is already an MVP-frontrunner and perhaps the best player on the planet. It would be nice if the rest of New Orleans' starting five were four Anthony Davis-clones, but alas, PG Jrue Holiday, SG Eric Gordon, SF/SG Tyreke Evans, and C Omer Asik will have to do. The backcourt has potential, as all three of those players have experienced several highs and lows throughout their careers, but many of these past issues can be attributed due to injuries. C Omer Asik got paid like a star this offseason, but all he really does is rebound and help alleviate some of Davis' interior defense responsibilities, as Asik struggles on the offensive end. The bench is shabby as well, with PG Norris Cole and PF Ryan Anderson being the only legitimate rotation players beyond the starting five. However, this team still has a mega-super-duper-star in Davis, and as the 2000s Cavaliers can attest: that will get you into the playoffs year after year for sure, but anything beyond that will need a better supporting cast.