New Orleans Pelicans: The 3 best quotes from media day

“If you’re on a team who has good veterans and you don’t listen to good veterans, you’re not going to do well in this league.” ~ Josh Hart

There is simply so much new on the New Orleans Pelicans roster this season, as 12-of-18 players on the training camp roster weren’t on this squad even four months ago, including Josh Hart.

Learning from and listening to veterans has to be a requirement for such a young roster. Not that any of these players are shying away from that notion, it just can’t be stated with enough severity.

Hart is old for his status. He’s entering his third year in the NBA but is already 24-years-old, as he played out his full four years of college eligibility at Villanova. Due to the culture Jay Wright established for his Wildcats, Hart had exposure to older, talented players who could guide him throughout his college career.

Many players on this roster were one-and-done guys in college and simply need experienced athletes to make sure they’re doing what it takes to excel at this level.

Considering they have crafty veteran leaders like Jrue Holiday, J.J. Redick and Derrick Favors, the players should be excited about the opportunity to learn from such high-caliber talents. Any apprehension of embracing their leadership is simply irresponsible to the organization.

Hart was on the money with his comment, and it’s likely that this group of Pelicans feel the same way; there’s a great attitude about this team, which is something clearly different from the shadow cast over this franchise a season ago.