New Orleans’ annual open practice Saturday in the Smoothie King Center was enlightening from a basketball standpoint, in that it was the first chance to watch several new Pelicans players in action, including Rajon Rondo and Ian Clark. In the stands, it may have been even more enlightening.
If Saturday’s attendance is any indication, the team’s fan base is very eager for the 2017-18 campaign to begin in mid-October, as an estimated 5,000 were in the seats. That’s believed to be the biggest crowd for an open practice in New Orleans since the franchise returned full-time to the Crescent City in 2007.