Compared to the other franchises playing in the NBA, the New Orleans Pelicans can be considered one of the “youngest” teams, with not much history behind them yet. However, it is not to say that they are without power and without players to boast about. The then New Orleans Hornets was established in 2002, following their move from Charlotte. The team has used Oklahoma City as their base when New Orleans was badly hit by Hurricane Katrina back in 2007. Finally, they came back to the court as the New Orleans Pelicans in 2013 and are playing under this moniker up to the present season.
The New Orleans Pelicans, despite being a “younger” team as compared to other franchises that have had a long history with the NBA now, has its share of star players and key names that had helped them on their way when starting and made them what they are now.
Here are the top five best Pelicans players in the franchise history.
Peja Stojakovic
Stojakovic is known as one of the best shooters in the NBA, and his stay with the then hornets showed a full display of his shooting skills. He already has his time with the Sacramento Kings, where he had three NBA All-Star Game appearances in a row from 2002 to 20004 with them.
One of the most notable achievements of Stojakovic with the Hornets was during the 2007-08 NBA season, where he managed to score 231 three-points. This was recorded as the second highest in his entire career.
Jrue Holiday
Jrue is considered as one of the most promising emerging rookies in the NBA right now. He spent four seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers before being traded to the Pelicans for the 2013 NBA offseason.
Although his time with the Pelicans had been filled with moments of injury and recovery, that is not to say that he did not have the chance to exhibit his skills and talents. During the 2015-16 NBA season, he contributed an average of 16.8 points for the team, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game.
David West
David West became one of the staple names for the Hornets during his time alongside other big names such as Chris Paul, P.J. Brown, among others. He started as a reserve and played sparingly for his first two seasons with the team. But for his third time around, he was then made as a full-time starter player.
In his early days during the 2005-06 NBA season, West gave the Hornets an average of 17.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game, with 74 contests for the entire season.
Chris Paul
Before he made a name for himself playing for the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Clippers, Chris Paul was a huge player for the franchise of New Orleans. During his debut season, he was hailed as the 2005-06 NBA Rookie of the Year.
For this season, he managed to score an average of 16.1 points, 7.8 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game for the then Hornets.
Anthony Davis
There is without a doubt that Anthony Davis is the greatest player in the history of the Hornets/Pelicans. He brought huge numbers for the team, although his stay with them was cut short, as he left on his terms.
Although he did not snag the Rookie of The Year award back then, he was hailed as an All-Rookie performer in 2012-13, with 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 steals per contest played during the season.
