Rockets first! US media shows the strength list of the Southwest Division: Pelicans are helplessly ranked last in the Mavericks rank fourth

Rockets rank first! The Southwest Division has always been one of the most fiercely competitive divisions within the NBA. After the first wave of major adjustments in the offseason, US media "SI" also announced the Southwest Division's strength list based on the latest lineup configuration update. Among them, the Pelicans were reluctantly at the bottom, and the Mavericks ranked fourth.

Fifth place: Pelicans (last season)

With the Rockets and Spurs ending their reconstruction one after another, the Pelicans have been at the bottom for two consecutive seasons, which also shows the cruel competitive environment in the Southwest Division.

In fact, the Pelicans, built around Zion, has always had a good lineup configuration. Especially after introducing Murray last season, the Pelicans' lineup was very luxurious. As a result, injuries once again shattered the Pelicans' plan, Ingram was also sent away, and Zion was even put on the shelves for the first time in his career.

As the Pelicans readjust their lineup in the offseason, they bring in Poole and welcome back injured Murray. If they can stay healthy for a long time in the new season, they have hope of getting out of the bottom ranks.

4th place: Mavericks (third last season)

As one of the top three in Texas, the Mavericks completed a major lineup adjustment last season, secretly completed a deal with the Lakers to send away the core Doncic and exchanged for Davis, and launched a full effort to attack the championship.

This loss-making deal made the Mavericks criticized the outside world, but they won Flag, the highly anticipated American supernova with a magical probability of 1.8%.

plus a group of core players are left behind. As long as Irving can recover from health in the new season and the Mavericks stay healthy, they will soon enter the championship ranks.

Third place: Grizzlies (second last season)

Grizzlies were once the most anticipated dark horse team in the West. Morant, whose playing style is very interesting, was also supported by the NBA. As the team grew rapidly, Morant caused chaos outside the court, disrupting the upward momentum of the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies sent Bain away in the offseason, exchanged for Pope and several first-round picks, and let Kennard go and introduced new players such as Jerome and Coward to complete the comprehensive lineup adjustment.

The most important thing is that Morant has finally put his mind back on the field, and with full recovery of health, the Grizzlies will surely be one of the competitors that cannot be ignored in the new season.

Second place: After the Spurs (fourth last season)

After getting Vampan Yama, Holy City tried to end the reconstruction last season, but Vampan Yama was suddenly injured and disrupted the rhythm.

With Vanban Yama recovering her health in the new season, winning Harper in the draft, and introducing Olynick and Cornett to release Vanban Yama, the Spurs are bound to usher in a strong season.

Especially considering the growth of Vinbanyama, Castle and Harper, as well as the further integration of Fox, the Spurs are ready to return to the playoffs.

No doubt, the top spot belongs to the Rockets, and the Rockets had already won the second place in the Western Conference last season.

The Rockets completed the comprehensive improvement of their lineup without any pain in the offseason. They not only used a cheap 8-for-1 trade to win Durant to target the key goal ability, but also introduced three strong players, Capela, Finney Smith and Okogi.

More importantly, the Rockets also used a cost-effective contract to continue core rotations such as Adams, Van Jordan and Xiao Jia. At the same time, they also hold a large number of draft picks, and they can trade up to five first-round picks in one go. With the growth of young players such as Amen, the Rockets will surely be one of the hottest favorites in the championship in the new season.