New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans are the NBA’s most frustrating “what if” franchise, and the answer to that question is always the same: what if their best players could actually stay on the court? The franchise arrived in New Orleans in 2002 when the original Charlotte Hornets relocated, rebranding as the Pelicans in 2013, and has spent most of its existence watching generational talent — first Chris Paul, then Anthony Davis, now Zion Williamson — either leave or break down. Smoothie King Center, a 16,867-seat arena in the Central Business District, hosts a team that finished 21-61 in 2024-25 and a fanbase that deserves better.

Under Willie Green, the Pelicans were decimated by injuries, with Williamson’s continued unavailability transforming what should be a competitive roster into one of the Western Conference’s worst. The 21-61 record is not a reflection of the talent on paper — it is a reflection of the talent on the treatment table. When healthy, this team possesses legitimate star power. When unhealthy, which has been the default setting for years now, they possess nothing but potential energy that never converts to kinetic.

Williamson remains one of the most physically gifted athletes in NBA history — a 285-pound wrecking ball who moves with the agility of a guard and finishes at the rim with a violence that defies physics. The problem is that his body has proven unable to sustain the demands his talent places upon it, and the Pelicans’ entire franchise trajectory hinges on whether that changes. New Orleans is one of America’s most vibrant cities, and its fans have shown remarkable loyalty to a franchise that has tested that loyalty repeatedly.

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The Pelicans enter 2025-26 with the same hope that has preceded every season since they drafted Williamson: maybe this year he stays healthy. If he does, the calculus changes entirely — a fit Williamson turns New Orleans from lottery fodder into a playoff team overnight. If he does not, and recent history suggests the odds are not favourable, the franchise faces difficult decisions about its direction and its investments. Australian fans watching Pelicans games are getting a window into the NBA’s most unique basketball market in its most culturally vibrant city. The basketball needs to match the setting. So far, it has not come close.

VS — Chief sports columnist, australiafootball.com