FanSided 250: New Orleans Pelicans move up significantly from 2019

Where do the New Orleans Pelicans rank among their peers on the 2020 FanSided 250 list?

The New Orleans Pelicans have a lot of buzz heading into the 2020-21 season. Not only do they have phenom Zion Williamson healthy and ready to go, but have extended Brandon Ingram with a max contract.

The Pelicans starting building last year with the Anthony Davis trade, which loaded the Pels with young talent and draft assets.

Last season was foiled when Zion Williamson went down early with an injury, but he has been fully cleared for action, so expectations are sky-high in the Crescent City.

FanSided 250 is the ultimate list of fandoms, ranking teams, shows and individuals across all entertainment and sports.

The list uses a combination of fan votes, social media presence and overall search ranking to try and quantify the most important people in entertainment and sports today.

Where do the New Orleans Pelicans rank?

New Orleans Pelicans: Where do the Pels rank on FanSided 250?

The New Orleans Pelicans improved their overall ranking on the FanSided 250 list, going from 107th in 2019 all the way up to 67th in 2020, which is a pretty significant leap.

But it is not surprising given that Zion Williamson and Lonzo Ball are two of the most popular players in the NBA.

What is surprising is that the Pelicans actually dropped from 10th overall in the Pro Basketball category to 13th, which is strange considering they are even more popular this year than last and have had a full offseason of Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram hype.

The other factor is Stan Van Gundy, a wildly popular coach with a big social media presence. Perhaps he hasn’t been around long enough to sway the list but his addition to the Pelicans should have helped.

Where will the New Orleans Pelicans be in 2021? If they end up making the playoffs, we should see the Pels in the top 50 overall and definitely back in the top-ten in the NBA.