New Orleans Pelicans: 30 greatest players in franchise history
C. (2014-18). Omer Asik. 27. player. 69.
Omer Asik was one of the more notable rebounders during his time with the Pelicans. He was traded to New Orleans from the Houston Rockets as part of a three-team trade and the trade didn’t slow his progress on the boards much.
He led the league in total rebounds with Houston during the 2013-14 NBA season with 956 total rebounds. During the 2014-15 NBA season, his first as a member of the Pelicans, he ranked seventh in the NBA in offensive rebounds with 244 and total rebounds with 748 by season’s end.
He snagged a personal-best 18 rebounds against the Phoenix Suns in a 90-75 victory on April 10, 2015. Asik produced 7.3 points and 9.8 rebounds per game through 76 appearances, all starts that year.
During the 2015-16 campaign, Asik put up a career-high 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the floor on April 13, 2016, though it came in a 144-109 loss. The highlights of Asik would only last briefly, however.
As his time went on New Orleans, his appearances and production dropped due to a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease. During the 2016-17 NBA season, he appeared in just 31 games and made 19 starts, averaging 2.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest.
As a result of the disease, he was forced to miss eight months from the NBA and lost roughly 30 pounds. During the 2018 NBA Trade Deadline in February, he was moved to the Chicago Bulls, where he was diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis and was waived by the team.
Through 189 appearances, Asik averaged 4.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game for New Orleans. Although his time was cut short, his contributions were certainly felt.