Pelica Debrief
Fansided

New Orleans Pelicans: 15 best draft picks of all-time

By John Buhler

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MARCH 24: New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul #3 looks on during the game against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena on March 24, 2011 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The New Orleans won 121-117. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2011 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MARCH 24: New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul #3 looks on during the game against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena on March 24, 2011 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The New Orleans won 121-117. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2011 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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J.R. Smith, New Orleans Hornets
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) /

SG. Saint Benedict's Preparatory School (Newark, NJ), 2004 (No. 18). J.R. Smith. 4. player. 69.

Back when kids could go straight from high school to the pros, the Hornets took a chance on a sharpshooter from Newark by the name of J.R. Smith. Yes, that J.R. Smith. The same J.R. Smith that has twice forgotten the score during the middle of an NBA game. One of those games was Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals when he essentially dribbled out the clock with the game tied on the road against the Golden State Warriors.

Any who, Smith had been one of the most enigmatic players in recent NBA history. Known for his abilities to get blistering hot from beyond arc, not wear a shirt and do all sorts of other quirky things, you might forget that he got his pro career started in the Crescent City as a member of the Hornets.

Smith went No. 18 overall to the then Hornets in the 2004 NBA Draft. He would play his first two NBA seasons with New Orleans/Oklahoma City. Smith averaged 10.3 points per game as a rookie and 7.7 points per game as a second-year player with the Hornets. Overall, he played in 131 games, starting in 81 of them during his time in New Orleans/Oklahoma City.

Then, the Hornets would trade Smith along with forward P.J. Brown to the Chicago Bulls for center Tyson Chandler. Smith would never play with the Bulls, but has played for the Denver Nuggets, the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers in his 14-year NBA career. Smith was NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year with the 2013 Knicks and won an NBA Championship with Cleveland. Let’s just say that Smith has kept it real interesting during his decade-plus NBA career so far.