Al-Farouq Aminu is another current NBA player that saw his profile rise with the Hornets/Pelicans before moving on to another squad. Aminu made 157 starts in his 222 appearances in New Orleans, putting together quite the developing career.
He averaged 6.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game during his initial season with them in 2011-12. He was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers alongside Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman and a first-round pick for Chris Paul to the Hornets in a blockbuster trade.
Rebounding became his forte as a member of the New Orleans franchise. During his second season in the league, he racked up a career-high 20 total rebounds against the Dallas Mavericks back on April 17, 2013. Eight of his 20 boards were of the offensive variety, which is also a career-high.
During that season, Aminu averaged a career-high 7.7 rebounds per contest to go along with 7.3 points, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He started in 71 of 76 games as well, a testament to improvements in his game.
His 585 total rebounds during the regular season rank second among his best single-season performances. He’s emerged in recent seasons as a pivotal role player for the Portland Trail Blazers.
As it stands, he ranks ninth all-time in New Orleans franchise history in total rebounds with 1,389 and offensive rebounds with 363. He averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game during his time with the Pelicans/Hornets and is still enjoying a career in the NBA.