13. New Oreleans Pelicans

By: Lucas Kochevar 

        The Pelicans pulled of one of the biggest trades last season by acquiring Demarcus Cousins. Cousins joined the Pelicans too late as they missed out on the playoffs again. This year they hope to make the playoffs so that they are not wasting the prime of both Anthony Davis and Cousins. The Pelicans biggest weakness is the wing spots. They are not deep at all and they will most likely struggle due to the weakness of this position. This problem would be huge in a playoffs series against the likes of the Warriors or Thunder because they do not have enough players to guard all their skill positions. This is their projected starting lineup from me. They have better players, but due to injury they will not be able to play for a couple months.

PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Ian Clark
SF: Dante Cunningham
PF: Anthony Davis
C: Demarcus Cousins

6th Man: E'Twaun Moore 

         The PG position is held down by Jrue Holiday. Holiday just recently signed a big extension as he is in his prime. He will be really good player for these Pelicans, but his injury history is very questionable. I like him as a starting option as of right now and if he can stay healthy then he will be a great third option for this team. The backup will be Rajon Rondo when he returns from injury. The SG position will most likely be Ian Clark. Clark will proved great wing shooting and will need to improve his defense if he wants to be the starter for the foreseeable future. If his defense is terrible I could see him getting replaced by Tony Allen. The SF will be Cunningham. He will be the starter and Solomon Hill will fight for the job when he returns from injury. I expect Dante to stay in the starting lineup unless he is hurt. I believe he is a better defensive player and he is able to match up better with the like of LeBron or Durant. The PF/C position is held down easily by Cousins and Davis. They are both the best players at their respective positions. A good sleeper on the team is Cheick Diallo. Diallo played in the summer league and looked very improved compared to last year. Do not expect New Orelenas to make as deep postseason run, but they should make it with their superstar bigs.