NOP's next 4 games are UTA, OKC, MIL, BOS
They beat MIN earlier this month but since then they've beat the middle of the pack teams (SAC, DAL without Luka) but have got packed up by all the healthy top talent West teams (LAC, DEN, and now PHX).
This is what all those injuries prior to the all star break/trade deadline kept them from seeing and figuring out last year: how well does their core actually stack up vs the field? These next 4 games will be one of those skill checks.