In sports, we love to do this thing where we determine how good a player is by counting the number of championships they win. And since Anthony Davis couldn’t win a championship as the number one guy with the New Orleans Pelicans, some people take that as a sign that he can’t be the best player on a championship team.
But at the end of the day, basketball is a team game. And for years, the Pelicans failed to surround Davis with the talent necessary for him to guide them to a championship. You don’t believe us? Then why don’t we just take a trip down memory lane and take a look back at some of the worst starters of the Davis era. Maybe then you will believe that it wasn’t Davis’ fault. Now, without further ado, here are the ten worst starters of the Davis era.
(Sidebar: For the sake of this list, to qualify as a “starter,” the player must have started at least 20 games for the Pelicans during the Davis era.)
10. Jahlil Okafor – 33 Games Started, -1.1 Box Plus-Minus as a Pelican
You may remember Jahlil Okafor as the Duke superstar who flamed out after being selected third overall in the draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. After failing in Philadelphia and a stop with the Brooklyn Nets, Okafor ended up with the Pelicans.
He spent two seasons in New Orleans, appearing in 89 games and starting in 33 of them. He actually wasn’t terrible during his time with the team. In both his seasons, his true shooting was well above the league average. However, in both seasons, his Box Plus-Minus (BPM) which is just not something you want from someone you are relying on to start games, especially not when you are trying to build a winner around Davis.