Ranking the Pelicans top 4 draft classes of all-time
By Matt Alquiza
Number two: 2012 - Anthony Davis, Austin Rivers, Darius Miller
We discussed it earlier, but Davis' exit from New Orleans stains his Pelican legacy. The icing on the cake in ruining his reputation with Pelicans fans was when Davis donned a "that's all folks" shirt to the Pelicans 2019 season finale after requesting a trade that same January.
However, putting all of that aside, Anthony Davis is the most talented player to ever wear a New Orleans Pelicans uniform.
3x First Team All-NBA, 3x NBA blocks leader, 6x All Star, 1x First Team All-Defense, 2013 First Team All-Rookie. Davis holds the franchise records for points, rebounds, blocks, and free throws made, and he's second in steals, games played, and minutes played. A New Orleans basketball legend through-and-through no matter how it ended.
New Orleans has won two playoff series in their brief 20-year history, and Davis led them to one of those. A 47-point masterpiece in game four of New Orleans' first round sweep of the Trail Blazers was Davis' high water mark as a Pelican.
Add Austin Rivers' solid NBA contribution to Davis' superstardom and you have the second best draft class in the history of New Orleans' basketball.