NBA power rankings: Pelicans, Thunder staking their claim in West minefield

Updated: March 11, 2024

The Western Conference continues to be chaos as the NBA season moves along, with nine teams having at least 35 wins and four having at least 40. The playoff and play-in field appears to be set but the seedings are truly up for grabs with only 11.5 games separating first from 10th.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, who won a play-in game last season, have surged to the top of the conference this year and are hoping to grab the No. 1 seed. The Thunder will likely have homecourt advantage for the first round if not longer, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a star. As long as the injury to Jalen Williams isn’t serious and the Thunder can stay healthy, they should be a contender. Oklahoma City is young and doesn’t have playoff experience but the talent is there. However, the Thunder aren’t the only team without recent postseason success potentially set to make a run.

The New Orleans Pelicans have quietly been one of the best teams since the All-Star break, leaning on Zion Williamson’s talent and a supporting cast of fringe All-Stars and veterans who know their roles. The Pelicans might not have the flashy names of Denver, Phoenix, LA and other franchises but they do have the talent to match up well. As long as Williamson can stay on the floor, New Orleans has a championship ceiling.

The Thunder and Pelicans, like most teams in the West, still have a long way to go. This could be the type of year where one win could make the difference between homecourt advantage, an automatic playoff spot or a road play-in game. Here’s our latest championship index for the 2023-24 NBA season.