21. New Orleans Pelicans (17-29)
Now although New Orleans is lumped in with some of the weaker teams from a record perspective, there’s really a lot to be excited about with the Pelicans. Unlike other small-market teams with less-than-stellar rosters, New Orleans actually has some serious pieces at their disposal. Whether we’re talking about Brandon Ingram (who should be a frontrunner for Most Improved Player), Jrue Holiday (who is just flat out a good 2-way player), Lonzo Ball (who has shown the ability to be effective in all phases of the game), and we haven’t even got to Zion Williamson, Jaxson Hayes, and even Derrick Favors has been an absolute beast when healthy.
Of all the bad teams in the NBA, this is definitely the one I’m most excited about, though I’m a little skeptical about what Zion is going to be able to do at the pro-level, given he really isn’t known as a shooter – meaning we might just be a shorter, pudgier version of Julius Randle. Expect the Pelicans to make a run for a playoff berth, as they’re 6-4 in their last 10, and just 3.5 games back of the Grizzlies for the 8th spot in the West.
22. Detroit Pistons (17-30)
The Pistons need to blow things up sooner rather than later, as they’re really going nowhere with the likes of Andre Drummond, Blake Griffin, and Derrick Rose. Not that these guys are bad players. Andre Drummond has improved his ball-handling and is a Fantasy God as it relates to stat-production (17.3 PTS, 15.6 REB, 1.4 AST, 1.7 BLK, 1.7 ST). Amazingly, Drummond is leading the NBA in individual rebounding, yet the Pistons are last in the league in team rebounding with only 42.2 rebounds per game.
The harsh reality is that stats do not always translate to wins, and with a lot of tread on the tires for Rose and Griffin (and not much help from the supporting cast), the Pistons are better off embarking on a rebuild. Much like Orlando, this team is stuck in the land of mediocrity, and it’d be surprising if they didn’t flip Andre or D-Rose for some picks at the trade deadline.