2014-15 NBA Season Preview: New Orleans Pelicans

Welcome to theScore's preview of the 2014-15 New Orleans Pelicans. Visit our preseason hub for previews of all 30 NBA teams.

New Orleans Pelicans

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2013-14

Anthony Davis.

That's the Cliff Notes version of the Pelicans' 2013-14 season. While there were long-shot hopes of an ahead-of-schedule playoff push, Davis' development in his sophomore season was the primary focus. And damned if he didn't deliver: Davis improved his scoring, rebounding, assist and shot-blocking numbers on a per-game and per-minute basis while becoming a more efficient offensive player and a more intelligent and menacing defender.

His play was off the charts, but Davis was limited to just 67 games, and there is precedent for a young star player taking a few seasons to turn elite individual performance into team success (go take a look at Kevin Durant's first two seasons). 34 wins was not disappointing, especially given the upside built into the league's second-youngest roster.

Davis wasn't the only player slowed by injury. Ryan Anderson took a nasty fall in January and never returned, Jrue Holiday suffered a stress fracture in his leg, Davis had a rotating cast of banged-up frontcourt running mates, and would you believe Eric Gordon only managed 64 games? Shocking.

The Pelicans had some bad luck, but there was also a lot to get excited about.

Offseason Roundup

That carousel of big men next to Davis is now out of order, with Omer Asik firmly planted as the team's center for 2014-15 and, if things go well, maybe beyond. 

The Houston Rockets were working hard to move Asik, an effective but redundant piece there who is owed $15 million in real dollars this season, despite a cap hit of just $8.4 million. New Orleans obliged them, surrendering a protected 2015 first-round pick for the 7-foot Turk in a three-team trade. While the price tag was appreciable, Asik fills a major need at center and should complement Davis well.

With their frontcourt shored up - they also took a flier on undrafted rookie Patric Young - the Pelicans then rolled the dice on Jimmer Fredette as a shooter off the bench and gave the bane of Toronto Raptors fans' existence, John Salmons, $2 million to provide a veteran presence on the wing.

Additions

C Omer Asik (trade)
PG/SG Jimmer Fredette (1/$948K)
*SF Darius Miller (undisclosed)
SF John Salmons (1/$2M)
C Patric Young (2/$1.4M)

*Re-signed

Departures

SF Al-Farouq Aminu (free agency)
PF Melvin Ely (trade)
PG Pierre Jackson (trade)
SG Anthony Morrow (free agency)
C Jason Smith (free agency)
SF James Southerland (free agency)

2014 Draft

PG Russ Smith (2nd round, 47th overall)

The Pelicans were set to have a quiet draft night, having dealt their first round pick (10th overall) to Philadelphia the previous offseason in the Jrue Holiday trade, and their second round pick to Minnesota back in 2009.

And then the 47th pick rolled around and New Orleans decided to get involved in the proceedings...by finally freeing Pierre Jackson. Jackson, the 42nd pick in the 2013 draft, was sent to Philadelphia for the 47th pick, which the Pelicans used on an incredibly similar player in Smith, an undersized but exciting guard from Louisville.

Smith last weighed in at just 160 pounds but that hardly mattered in four years as a Cardinal. He was signed at the minimum with a full guarantee for this season, but his path to playing time is crowded in New Orleans' deep backcourt rotation.

Starting 5

• PG Jrue Holiday
• SG Eric Gordon
• SF Tyreke Evans
• PF Anthony Davis
• C Omer Asik

Breakout Player: Anthony Davis

Is this cheating? Kind of, but if we're talking about breakouts, the leap to superstardom is surely more significant than a bump from average to above-average (Tyreke Evans?), or useless to serviceable (Austin Rivers?). 

Davis has been one of the league's most exciting players over the past two seasons, but by the end of the year we'll be talking about Davis as a top-five player, period. No "future," "upside," or "fantasy" caveats. The talent is that immense, and he's at the right point on the development curve to make The Leap.

Despite excellent numbers, the Pelicans were only slightly better with Davis on the floor than off it last season. He ranked just 22nd among power forwards in Real Plus Minus, and the Pelicans were 27th in team defense despite Davis ranking second in blocks per 100 possessions. A lot of that isn't on him, but the bet here is that this is the year Davis' enormous talent manifests itself in team results.

Yes, he averaged 21.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks with a 26.5 player efficiency rating. He's already very good. He's going to be even better, which should terrify everyone not in a Pelicans uniform.

Season Expectations

As with last season, all eyes will be on Davis. He has a new running mate inside who should help immensely, he flashed development in his offensive game at the FIBA World Cup, and the roster is better than last season's.

There are still questions. Holiday, Gordon, and Evans missed enough time that the perimeter rotation still needs to be figured out, and the health of that group can't be relied on. There's not a lot behind them in the event anyone goes down. And of course, the Western Conference is just unfair.

The goal here is the playoffs, and its not an entirely unrealistic one. They'd need help with teams ahead of them falling off, but at full health this might be the ninth or 10th best team in the conference. 41-41 is a more attainable target in a season that should tell the front office a great deal about where they need to go from here in building around Davis. That includes evaluating whether Monty Williams is the right coach for this team.

1 to Follow on Social Media

If you can stomach a whole lot of tweeting during Florida Gators games, big man Patric Young is the follow for the Pelicans. He engages plenty, will provide you with the motivation you need, and he'll play Destiny with you on Xbox One.

Plus, he's a Jacksonville Jaguars fan with an awesome dog. How could we not?