Unless you’re an avid New Orleans Pelicans fan, this NBA first-round playoff series vs. Golden State may be the first time you’ve seen them play in 2014-15. Actually, partly based on the Pelicans’ total of just three national TV appearances this season, the odds are fairly decent that you’re also entirely unfamiliar with them.
We’re here to help. Here’s a handy guide to some of the basics you should know about the 14 Pelicans players who’ll be trying to take down the top-seeded Warriors:
STARTERS
Let’s start with Anthony Davis, a name you probably know, unless you haven’t watched an episode of SportsCenter in months. New Orleans picked him No. 1 in the 2012 NBA Draft, a foundation piece that the Pelicans have built around ever since. After dominating college basketball for one season at Kentucky – and bringing the much-maligned unibrow to prominence – he’s steadily developed as a pro, becoming an all-around force at both ends of the floor.
Another one-and-done college standout who played for John Calipari (at Memphis), Tyreke Evans has experienced a career revitalization with the Pelicans, after playing four seasons for Sacramento. The NBA’s 2009-10 Rookie of the Year is ultra-talented, but has harnessed his game since coming to New Orleans, becoming an improved distributor and shooter.
Eric Gordon took considerable criticism from media and fans during his first three seasons in New Orleans, partly due to his inability to stay healthy, but he’s converted many skeptics in 2014-15. The last piece of the December 2011 Chris Paul trade that’s still in the Crescent City, Gordon was a Clippers lottery pick. The Indiana product and Indianapolis native is having the best shooting year of his NBA career.
Perhaps the most underrated element of the Pelicans’ rise from a .500 team at midseason to barging into the hyper-competitive West playoff field, Quincy Pondexter has been a godsend. New Orleans traded him once in 2011, in order to acquire a badly-needed point guard at the time (Greivis Vasquez), but got him back from Memphis in January. Since returning to NOLA, he’s shot well, defended wings, made hustle plays and quickly become a fan favorite. He’s also one of the team’s most quotable interviewees.
Now with his third team, Omer Asik is perhaps best known among NBA fans as the valuable reserve role player he was in Chicago’s defensive-minded scheme in his first two seasons. After two other years with Houston, including backing up Dwight Howard last season, Asik has been penciled in as a starter 76 times for the Pelicans (he missed six games due to injury). The 7-foot center had an excellent summer of ’14, as one of Turkey’s best players at the FIBA World Cup.
RESERVES Jrue Holiday was an NBA All-Star in 2013 and is one of the NBA’s premier defensive point guards. He’s also been a participant at USA Basketball camp in Las Vegas. Yet he’s only the second-most famous athlete in his family. Holiday is married to USA women’s soccer star Lauren Cheney; the couple met when both were standout athletes at UCLA. Holiday is a slick ballhandler and virtually ambidextrous when finishing shots around the rim. Jrue’s older brother Justin plays for Golden State.
Looking for a player to root for in this series? Ryan Anderson has dealt with terrible misfortune, including the tragic death of girlfriend Gia Allemand in August 2013. One of the NBA’s most personable players, Anderson sustained a scary season-ending neck injury in 2013-14 and has come back from injuries again this season. A prolific three-point shooter, the Sacramento native is playing road games in this series not far from home.
If you’re a fan inclined to pay much closer attention during the playoffs than the regular season, two-time champion Norris Cole should be a recognizable face. In his three previous NBA seasons, the point guard has never not reached the NBA Finals. With a logjam at point guard, Miami dealt him to New Orleans at the trade deadline, another in-season move by Pelicans GM Dell Demps that paid off handsomely.
Dante Cunningham was available to any team to sign when he was picked up by the Pelicans in December. The reason? The veteran combo forward was falsely accused of domestic violence by an ex-girlfriend last summer. Cunningham has been a solid veteran in the Pelicans’ locker room, with a serious approach to the game. Like Pondexter, he’s provided shooting and critical individual defense against opposing forwards.
Alexis Ajinca is part of the league's growing legion of French players. A washout in his first NBA stint after being a first-round pick, he returned to the league in 2013 after excelling in Europe. He's greatly improved from his initial NBA experience, as the backup center to Asik.
Toney Douglas played some key minutes for New Orleans as a backup guard and 10th man prior to Holiday’s return from injury. The veteran’s best trait is his dogged on-ball defense.
If he’d made enough treys to officially qualify, Luke Babbitt would’ve won the NBA’s three-point shooting crown. The smooth-shooting southpaw, who played professionally in Russia last season, connected on 51.3 percent on his three-point attempts, going 59 of 115.
Another former college star on the Pelicans’ roster, Jimmer Fredette was in the team’s rotation at times early in the season, but hasn’t had a significant role since the All-Star break. In his sporadic stints on the floor, he hasn’t shot the ball well, his forte. Still, he’s been an occasional late-game free-throw shooting specialist who's helped seal wins.
Jeff Withey has been a victim of the Pelicans’ considerable frontcourt depth, out of the rotation lately. The second-year pro had some quality games late in his rookie season. The Kansas Jayhawk faced Anthony Davis in the 2012 NCAA championship game, which coincidentally was played at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.