This story is part of ESPN The Magazine's Oct. 31 NBA Preview Issue. Subscribe today!
New Orleans Pelicans
Overall: 66
Title track: 107
Ownership: 86
Coaching: 91
Players: 101
Fan relations: 66
Affordability: 11
Stadium experience: 85
Bang for the buck: 41
Change from last year: -30
It was all good just a year ago. The Pelicans jumped 41 spots in these rankings after their first winning season in the Anthony Davis era, and that 45-win season seemed to foretell great things for the team and its leading man. Alas, an encore with more starting lineups (42) than wins (30) pushed the Pels back to the bottom half.
What's good
Even after a 30-win season, the Pelicans rank in the top third of teams in bang for the buck, thanks to the league's cheapest tickets. At just $30.20 on average, Pelicans tickets are $25 below the NBA average and a full $99 cheaper than the league's most expensive ticket (the Knicks). Once you're in the door, you get to watch a superstar in the prime of his career. Although doubts have emerged after his left knee debridement in March made it four straight seasons with fewer than 70 regular-season games played, Davis is still only 23 years old and boasts a statistical profile befitting some of the very best in history.
What's bad
A season ravaged by injuries -- the Pelicans lost 351 games to injury or illness, second-most in the past decade -- forced the front office to undergo a major facelift this past summer. While the likes of Solomon Hill and E'Twaun Moore will provide much-needed versatility, particularly for the league's 28th-ranked defense, the losses of Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon leave the supporting cast a bit light on star power and scoring punch. As a result, the Pels take a big hit here in players (down 52 spots to 101st) and title track (down 30 to 107, New Orleans' worst showing).
What's new
The Benson family's courtroom drama, in which owner Tom Benson is trying to move control of a family trust to his wife, not his daughter, put a 32-point drag on the team's ownership score, which is now down to 86th overall and 23rd in the NBA. But if New Orleans can live up to its reputation as the country's best party host with the 2017 All-Star Game -- relocated to New Orleans after the league moved it from Charlotte -- the Pelicans could bump that back up. Another fan favorite: The Pelicans are putting courtside seats normally reserved for media on sale to the public, offering fans the unique experience of hearing coach Alvin Gentry's colorful in-game monologues loud and clear.
Next: Orlando Magic | Full rankings