Last year was the New Orleans Pelicans’ best season since Chris Paul was in town. Can they build on that with what is potentially a deeper roster?
Last year went about as well as it possibly could have for the New Orleans Pelicans. The addition of DeMarcus Cousins proved fruitful in the first half of the year as the Pelicans got off to a strong start, and even once Cousins ruptured his Achilles in late January, the team rode a Jrue Holiday renaissance and the insanity of peak Anthony Davis into 48 wins and the playoffs. Once there, they had perhaps the most impressive series of the entire playoffs, dismantling a division champion Blazers team in four quick, embarrassing games, and then gave Golden State a quick but competitive series. Not bad for a team that had struggled to even make the playoffs for the entirety of Anthony Davis’s career.
The offseason on paper seemed negative, as the team let Cousins walk to sign a nearly minimum deal with Golden State. Even injured, Cousins was a clear All-Star talent on a team that needed support for Davis, and he could have been very beneficial in the long-term chase to keep Davis in town. The team also lost Rajon Rondo, who had his best season since he left Boston, to the Los Angeles Lakers. The team also didn’t have a first-round pick, having given that up in the Nikola Mirotic trade last season.
But, the Pelicans enter 2018-19 with a deeper roster than what they had in 2017-18. In Cousins’ place, they added Julius Randle, perhaps the most underrated player in the league last season. The team also took smart, low-cost fliers on three troubled players that needed fresh starts: Jahlil Okafor, Jarrett Jack, and Elfrid Payton. And they may have signed the most NBA-ready undrafted rookie ever to enter the league.
New Orleans isn’t flashy, but they have a top-five player in the league and a huge amount of depth. As Davis continues into his prime, the roster looks primed to help him continue to make the Pelicans into a contender.