The 2017-18 New Orleans Pelicans campaign was one of the most high-leverage seasons in franchise history.
Prior to last October, Anthony Davis had made the playoffs just once in his career, DeMarcus Cousins’ partnership with the franchise cornerstone was still underdeveloped and unknown, Jrue Holiday hadn’t yet turned into This New Version of Jrue Holiday and the team hadn’t turned on the afterburners to become the fastest team in the league.
Heck, Dell Demps was likely on the hot seat, with Alvin Gentry feeling just a tad warm under the collar, too.