Strength of schedule
The Pelicans were set up for a run at the eighth seed with the easiest strength of schedule to close the season, which made the league coming to a halt and the revised restart relatively frustrating. However, New Orleans will still have the benefit of an easy schedule.
According to ESPN, the Pelicans are the only team in the 22-team restart where their opponents have a combined record under .500. Only their first two games against the Jazz and Clippers will be against teams above .500.
It’s a favorable run-in for the Pelicans, but one that they were scheduled to have anyway. So take off the tin-foil hats. The league isn’t rigging schedules to get Williamson into the playoffs.