Last year in the Western Conference, only three teams finished with worse records than the New Orleans Pelicans: the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Phoenix Suns, and the Los Angeles Lakers. With the Wolves on the cusp of greatness with a new coach and another lottery pick in tow, and the Lakers and Suns both having added pieces to their young cores, there is reason to believe all three will improve during the upcoming season.
Between the Pels and the eighth seed lay the Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings, and Utah Jazz. With modest-to-explosive improvements from players like Emmanuel Mudiay and Gary Harris, the Nuggets too could be on the inside looking out come playoff time.