New Orleans Pelicans Rank 8th In Watchability Rankings
By Owen Sanborn
USA Today has been counting down NBA teams based on their watchability over the past month and in a shocking revelation, the Pelicans landed the No. 8 spot. For league pass nerds such as myself, this rankings list is near and dear to my heart, so this is an honor that should not be taken lightly.
New Orleans ranked ahead of notable entertaining teams such as the Houston Rockets, the self-proclaimed best backcourt in the league in Washington and last year’s league pass darlings, the Phoenix Suns.
Of course, it is no secret that this ranking may solely be based on Anthony Davis‘ existence on the roster. Davis has a ton of momentum after dominating this summer at the FIBA World Cup and fans are eagerly waiting for the next MVP candidate to appear right before their eyes. He may be well on his way to becoming the next Tim Duncan with his assortment of skills and world class length. To put it in the simplest terms; Davis is really fun to watch play the game of basketball and casual or die-hard NBA fans alike should make the necessary time to watch him.
Although Davis is the headliner, New Orleans boasts many other intriguing parts that improve their watchability status. Jrue Holiday is a former all star point guard with a ton of talent, Tyreke Evans is a highly entertaining, yet frustrating scorer that has not found a efficient way to use his talents, Eric Gordon has a massive contract to live up to and can’t stay healthy (I highly encourage league pass nerds to create an over/under bet with their buddies based on the amount of games he will play. I will tentatively set the number at 54.5.) and Omer Asik will bring comic relief/supreme sweatiness to any broadcast. What isn’t there to love?
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Another underlying story line with the Pellies is the future of coach Monty Williams and general manager Dell Demps. Owner Tom Benson has made it very clear that he intends to win now with how the roster is currently constructed. The trading of another first round pick this summer for the services of Omer Asik has only driven home this point more.
The dynamic between the desire to win now and being patient with a young core group of players will definitely lead theatrics throughout the season. Perhaps we will witness some tension filled team huddles or if we are lucky, some on the court pleasantries will be exchanged between Davis and Evans after Tyreke takes a contested jump shot for no reason.
Last but certainly not least, Jimmer Fredette is on this roster! Twitter will explode if there is any sniff of a throwback “Jimmer Time” performance. I hope that if the Pelicans are getting blown out Jimmer decides to chuck up threes ten feet behind the three point line as he did while he played at BYU. Anthony Davis is great and all, but Fredette may be my favorite Pelican to watch this season.
New Orleans should be proud to be ranked No. 8 on such a prestigious list. Every team in the NBA aspires to win a championship, but realistically that is a difficult goal to reach (unless you have LeBron, Durant or coach Pop). At least the Pelicans boast a team that will be worth watching.