The NBA is back and the New Orleans Pelicans are included.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA will bring back 22 teams to Orlando, the 16 playoff teams plus every team that was within six games of the 8th seed:
The NBA did add some interesting wrinkles to the format that should benefit the Pelicans.
All teams will play eight regular season games, and if the 8th seed is not more than four games ahead, there will be a play-in tournament for the final spot.
This format not only ensures that teams will get some reps before they start playing do-or-die playoff games, but gives some of the fringe teams a legit path to the playoffs.