The New Orleans Pelicans were on the verge of breaking down the door to NBA relevancy. The pieces were seemingly primed to reach the next level and the team become a legitimate threat in the Western Conference. New Orleans had improbably knocked off the Oklahoma City Thunder to crash the 2016 playoff picture, and the future appeared bright in the Bayou. Heck, talk was circulating across the league that Anthony Davis might be the new face, sorry LeBron James.
But things soon began to unravel after a quick postseason exit, and injuries played no small part.