New Orleans Pelicans round table: Taking the pulse of the Pelicans at the halfway mark
Jan 5, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) dunks over Washington Wizards guard
Bradley Beal(3) and forward
Kris Humphries(43) during the fourth quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Wizards defeated the Pelicans 92-85. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
1.Halfway through the year which player has been the most pleasant surprise?
Andrew: Am I allowed to answer with Anthony Davis? I think I will either way. He’s been the best player, improved more than a lot expected, and I’m glad to say that he is going to be the league headliner for years to come. Just need to get him on National TV now.
Chris: Well I was gonna say Austin Rivers but….yeah. So instead I’ll say Jimmer! He was supposed to be nothing but an end of the bench guy that only played during garbage time. Now he’s developed into a solid guard that can provide scoring and shooting off the bench. He’s still not particularly game changing games with his play but that’s okay.
Rick: Dante Cunningham went from a free agent signing to a starter who handles the best offensive player on the other team night in and night out. That’s fairly impressive. He still has work to do in his game, but the surprise of Cunningham being the best 3 on the team is a concept I would never have guessed.
Matt: I’m going to say Davis as well, but that is more about the rest of the roster being kind of what we expected. I was very high on Davis entering the year but he has surpassed any expectations I had. The most impressive part of the improvement is in the shooting as Davis has essentially become Dirk Nowitzki from 18 feet. It is just automatic and something I didn’t expect.
Next: The disappointment