NBA Power Rankings: What exactly is wrong with the Clippers?

22. New Orleans Pelicans

Good news for the Pelicans this week, even as they went 1-2, including a drubbing at the hands of the Nuggets: Anthony Davis has been cleared by the NBA”s concussion protocol, escaping with only a bruised orbital bone. Davis left the Nuggets game after Nikola Jokic inadvertently hit him in the head, and did not return. Losing him for any period of games is trouble for them, so him not having to deal with a concussion is very, very good news.

It’s also important that the Pelicans have Davis right now because this is a team starting to come to terms with its full roster. Rajon Rondo will see a minutes uptick this week to as many as 26 minutes as he continues to get his legs back after he missed the beginning part of the year with a core muscle injury. For this Pelicans team to work, Rondo has to mesh with Davis, DeMarcus Cousins and Jrue Holiday more than anyone else. And because New Orleans seems committed to starting Rondo,  and getting him heavily involved in their flow, every game is going to matter. This isn’t like adding a George Hill-type or even a Jameer Nelson. This is adding a ball-dominant, direct-the-flow-of-offense guard on a team with two big men who are capable of doing that and maybe should be as much as possible. Plus, Holiday exists. How this plays out is going to be fascinating, especially against good teams like the Spurs and Thunder this week.