Josh Hart has used social media to become one of the most beloved New Orleans Pelicans players ever, before even scoring a point. He scored several points with the team’s fans and media at the recent introductory press conference.
Josh Hart has fully adopted New Orleans as his home base. Hart is constantly praising both the city and the Pelicans franchise. He has changed his social media profiles, worn Pelicans gear since the day the trade was announced and had Cafe du Monde trending on twitter.
Hart seemed the most excited during the New Orleans Pelicans press conference stating:
"”I think it’s an amazing place, where people want to go to work every day. And the talent we have here is amazing, that’s why JJ wanted to come here, why Derrick wanted to come here, and this is something that you want to be a part of and that you wanna grow with. I thought that was an amazing opportunity and I didn’t wanna let that slip.” ”When you see greatness happening, you wanna be part of it.”"
Griffin relayed a draft day story about a phone call from Hart. Griffin said Hart very direct. Griffin told the media crowd:
"“I haven’t had the opportunity to talk to a lot of players who were more direct with me than Josh was. Josh called me after the trade and said, ”I know you can get a lot for me, but whatever you do, don’t trade me. I really wanna be in New Orleans.” And that meant a lot to us, especially as we were trying to build this very different culture where players were equally as committed to us as we were to them.”"
More from Pelican Debrief
- How will the Pelicans round out rotation without Trey Murphy III
- Why you can’t blame Brandon Ingram for all Team USA’s failures
- Ranking 10 worst starters of the Anthony Davis era
- New Orleans Pelicans avoid potential disaster with latest injury reports
- 4 Most underrated players on New Orleans Pelicans current roster
With offers on the table, Griffin decided to keep Hart in New Orleans to help run the second unit. Griffin explained the building of a new championship culture with team and players alike all committed to one goal. As rotation depth that can also defend multiple positions, Hart had more value on the bench than the transaction wire.
Hart credits Holiday with “being one of the best guards, the best players, in the league.” He wants to learn from Holiday while helping him to win games. Griffin believes Hart can play in the backcourt and the wing, saying Hart’s game is “similar to Brandon, with untouched upside.”
Hart can learn while also teaching, expressing his desire to help guide Zion Williamson through his rookie season.
With most of the offseason obligations over, Hart is ready for the regular-season work to begin. Well, maybe next week. Hart is “going to get beignets tonight” and held true to his promise. Perhaps he will give a few to his podcast guests.
Hart’s podcast, along with JJ Redick’s, will be must-listen material throughout the season. Hart said the podcast is a way to control the narrative. A platform for others to speak to a new audience.