New Orleans Pelicans: Ranking the Pels’ roster from bottom to top

New Orleans Pelicans: Roster rankings

On the Verge

These two guys are on the verge of stardom and also on the verge of new contracts. Both players are in the final year of their deal and will be looking for big raises. How big largely depends on whether they take the next step to become stars in the NBA.

#4: Josh Hart

Some may find Hart ranked too highly on this list, after all, he is a bench player. But he happens to be the best bench player the Pels have, a multi-skilled Swiss Army Knife of a player who can do a little bit of everything (including picking out a good cabernet sauvignon.) He can defend all over the floor, shoots the ball well, can take it to the rack and is one of the best rebounding guards in the league, if not the best. He is the glue that holds the Pels together and his versatility should give SVG a lot of lineup options.

#3: Lonzo Ball

Lonzo played like an All-Star down the stretch but then it all burst in the bubble, where he was terrible. I wouldn’t read too much into that small sample, as Lonzo is motivated and looking to prove he’s worth a max extension. He will probably play a little more off the ball this season, and if he continues to knock down 3-pointers like he did late last season, he could become much more than just a passer in Stan Van Gundy’s offense. Lonzo has all of the tools but just needs to get better at the rim and the free-throw line. If he does, the sky is the limit.