New Orleans Pelicans: The Best All-Time Franchise Roster

Honorable Mentions

Let’s start with five guys who put up really good numbers while in New Orleans but just didn’t or haven’t played in enough games to make the team.

Zion Williamson

Bursting onto the NBA scene for the New Orleans Pelicans, Zion Williamson made an immediate impact in the game and showed he belonged in the NBA, but a knee injury suffered during his debut game delayed the start to his much-anticipated rookie year.

When he returned in late January 2020, Zion wasted no time in getting back to dominating games and guys much older than him. His 23.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists would be impressive for any rookie let alone one who came into the league with the level of hype that Zion did. The most impressive thing Zion did all season was live up to the hype and sky-high expectations placed upon his shoulders.

Unfortunately, 19 games for the New Orleans Pelicans just isn’t enough to crack the team.

Lonzo Ball

Lonzo Ball was another player who came into the league with a ton of hype (how much of that was the Lavar Ball effect or Lonzo’s own talent is up for debate). While his first couple of seasons were decent enough, Lonzo really took off this season when he was given the keys to one of the fastest offenses in the league.

It may seem premature to put Lonzo on this honorable mention list as he’s only played one shortened season for the New Orleans Pelicans, but a 12.4 point, 6.2 rebound, 7.0 assist stat line is nothing to sneeze at.

Give him a few more years of play at the level he showed late in this season and he’ll definitely make the rotation on the All-Time New Orleans Pelicans’ team.

Spencer Haywood

Spencer Haywood‘s time in New Orleans was very short, he only played 34 games after being traded for Joe Meriweather in a mid-season swap. But in those 34 games Haywood put up a monster 24.0 point, 9.6 rebound, 2.1 assist stat line to go along with 1.6 blocks. He did all that while shooting 49.7% from the field and playing 39.4 minutes per game.

Brandon Ingram

Brandon Ingram, like Zion and Lonzo, could easily move up this list if he continues playing at a high level for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Ingram has increased all his counting stats this season for the New Orleans Pelicans with 24.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists. His three-point shooting percentage has also gone up this season even as he’s taken almost 5.5 more three’s this season compared to last.

DeMarcus Cousins

DeMarcus Cousins‘ time in New Orleans will not soon be forgotten. He served as the honorary grand marshal (hey, he’s pretty good at this honorary thing) of the Zulu parade for Mardi Gras just days after being traded.

His play on the court should not be forgotten either. Boogie put up a massive a 25.0 points, 12.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists to go along with 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocks while shooting 46.5% from the field. New Orleans was trying to run a twin towers lineup with Boogie and Anthony Davis during this time and it worked pretty well.

The  New Orleans Pelicans didn’t make the playoffs in the season they acquired Cousins, but the next year the Pels were the sixth-seed and upset the third-seeded Portland Trailblazers in a postseason sweep.

Now to the starters and bench.