Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsOver the past 10 NBA Drafts (2006-2015), the New Orleans Pelicans (formerly the New Orleans Hornets) have made 14 selections, yielding just one All-Star in Anthony Davis.
The following table details the Pelicans’ track record by tiers, noting the number of All-Stars and starters selected, along with players who either never made the league or were out in five years or less:
| Tier | Picks | All-Star | All-Star Appearances | Starter* | Not in NBA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | 1 | 1 (100%) | 3 | 1 (100%) | 0 |
| 6-10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11-15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (66.7%) |
| 16-20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 21-25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (50%) |
| 26-30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31-40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 41-50 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 (83.3%) |
| 51-60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 14 | 1 (7.1%) | 3 | 1 (7.1%) | 8 (57.1%) |
*Starter criteria determined as an average of 50 or more starts, over at least 40 percent of the player’s career.
The following is the league average over the same tiers:
| Tier | All-Star | Starter | Not in NBA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | 12 (24%) | 30 (60%) | 3 (6%) |
| 6-10 | 8 (16%) | 30 (60%) | 7 (14%) |
| 11-15 | 2 (4%) | 12 (24%) | 8 (16%) |
| 16-20 | 3 (6%) | 10 (20%) | 8 (16%) |
| 21-25 | 2 (4%) | 8 (16%) | 15 (30%) |
| 26-30 | 1 (2%) | 5 (10%) | 20 (40%) |
| 31-40 | 1 (2%) | 11 (11%) | 52 (52%) |
| 41-50 | 2 (2%) | 8 (8%) | 70 (70%) |
| 51-60 | 1 (1%) | 1 (1%) | 87 (87%) |
| Total | 32 (5.3%) | 115 (19.7%) | 270 (45.0%) |
Outside of franchise player Davis, the Pelicans have been unable to find another starter in the draft.
Note that players are included with the team through any draft-day trades. Some teams pick well but let an eventual starter leave for another, but that’s beyond the scope of this article. Recently drafted players have yet to officially pass the “at least five years” test, but were considered as such if on a team’s roster by the end of the 2015-16 season.
Additionally, recent picks who have yet to join the NBA may still do so, but for this analysis are considered “out.”
Pick History 2006-2015
All-Stars: Anthony Davis (2012-1) — three appearances
Starters: Davis
Rotation Players: Hilton Armstrong (2006-12), Darren Collison (2009-21), Marcus Thornton (2009-43), Quincy Pondexter (2010-26), Austin Rivers (2012-10)
Out in Five Years or Less: Cedric Simmons (2006-15), Marcus Vinicius (2006-43), Julian Wright (2007-13), Adam Haluska (2007-43), Craig Brackins (2010-21), Darius Miller (2012-46), Pierre Jackson (2013-42), Russ Smith (2014-47)
