Fansided

Every NBA team’s all-time starting lineup

By Brandon Jefferson

MIAMI, FL - March 14: Dwyane Wade #3 and LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat during a game against the Denver Nuggets at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida on March 14 2014. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory copyright notice: Copyright NBAE 2014 (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - March 14: Dwyane Wade #3 and LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat during a game against the Denver Nuggets at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida on March 14 2014. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory copyright notice: Copyright NBAE 2014 (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 22: DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the New Orleans Pelicans is congratulated by Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans after completing a tripple double during a NBA game against the Chicago Bulls at the Smoothie King Center on January 22, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 22: DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the New Orleans Pelicans is congratulated by Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans after completing a tripple double during a NBA game against the Chicago Bulls at the Smoothie King Center on January 22, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

New Orleans Pelicans

PG – Chris Paul

The Point God rose to elite status based on his play in New Orleans. CP3 was instantly a game changer for New Orleans and he helped this franchise create a real footprint in football-crazed Louisiana. Paul nearly defeated the San Antonio Spurs single-handedly in the 2008 NBA Playoffs. Paul eventually was moved but in his time he was a player who made New Orleans a respectable team in a smaller market.

SG – Jrue Holiday

While this may seem like an audible, Holiday has actually played as the nominal shooting guard for the team for the past couple of years. Now with Lonzo Ball in town, Holiday is likely to remain at the spot going forward. Holiday is arguably the most complete defensive guard in the NBA right now he can guard up and down the lineup. David Griffin has made it known in the aftermath of drafting Zion Williamson that the Pelicans are currently Holiday’s team.

SF – Jamal Mashburn

This is where things get weird in the New Orleans Pelicans franchise history. Even though there is a team currently named the Charlotte Hornets, they technically came about from the expansion Charlotte Bobcats whereas the Pelicans were previously the New Orleans Hornets who were previously the Charlotte Hornets. With that criss-cross path behind us, we can poach Jamal Mashburn from that complicated backstory and place him here. Mashburn was a well-rounded scorer who held his own defensively.

PF – Anthony Davis

Before the “That’s All Folks” t-shirt incident, no player had been better adopted by the city of New Orleans than Anthony Davis was from the moment the team drafted him with the first pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Davis grew into a perennial all-star and all-NBA player with the Pelicans. Even though he’s a member of the Los Angeles Lakers now, Davis is the best player to ever play for the Pelicans.

C – DeMarcus Cousins

For this choice, we stick with just New Orleans Pelicans’ history and swap in DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins’ time in New Orleans is probably the shortest of any player selected to an all-time lineup, but in that time Cousins was posting averages that only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Giannis Antetokounmpo have matched in the history of the NBA. An Achilles injury ultimately cut short the promising tandem of Anthony Davis and Cousins.

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