New Orleans Pelicans: 30 greatest players in franchise history
69. . SG. (2011-16). Eric Gordon. 6. player
Eric Gordon was one player who enjoyed a rollercoaster career as a member of the Hornets/Pelicans. While he’s become quite the shooter with the Houston Rockets, he showed flashes of his brilliance in his early stages in New Orleans.
Gordon originally began his career with the Los Angeles Clippers as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. After three seasons, he was traded in a blockbuster deal to New Orleans for Chris Paul.
During his first season with the team, he appeared in just nine games while battling a knee injury. He got off to a promising start, scoring 20 points, four rebounds and three assists in his debut game, but a lingering knee injury sidelined him for an extended amount of time.
In 2012-13, he returned for 42 games (40 starts) to average 17.0 points, 3.3 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game on 32.4 percent shooting from 3-point land. With lingering knee issues, he played a limited amount of time but still managed to lead the team in scoring that year.
The following year, he appeared in 64 games (a personal-best) and produced 15.4 points, 3.3 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals per contest, while shooting 39.1 percent from 3-point range.
During the 2014-15 campaign, he shot a career-high 44.8 percent and made 2.3 shots from behind the arc per game through 61 appearances.
Through 221 appearances, Gordon averaged 15.3 points on 39 percent shooting from 3-point range. He ranks fourth in franchise history in 3-point makes with 421. Following the 2016 season, he signed as a free agent with the Rockets, where he’s spent the last three seasons.