Pelica Debrief
Fansided

New Orleans Pelicans: 30 greatest players in franchise history

By Jerran Anderson

Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets. (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Before the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Clippers, Chris Paul used to run things out West with the Hornets. He was selected as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft out of Wake Forest, where he built quite a name for himself.

He won the 2005-06 NBA Rookie of the Year award in his debut season, putting up 16.1 points, 7.8 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game for the Hornets.

As a rookie, Paul racked up two triple-doubles and 21 double-doubles as the new face of the franchise. By his third season in New Orleans, he was leading the NBA in assists per game (11.7) and steals per game (2.7). Paul led the NBA in both categories in back-to-back seasons and led the league in steals per game during the 2010-11 campaign.

He dished out a career-high 21 assists during the 2007-08 NBA season. It was also the season in which he set his career mark for points in a game with 43.

Paul set a pretty high standard with the Hornets. At his peak, he quickly grew out of New Orleans. During the 2011 offseason, he was traded in a blockbuster deal to the Los Angeles Clippers.