The 2018-19 season for the New Orleans Pelicans definitely has been one that many fans would rather forget even happened, but will be one that they can’t because they will be feeling the effects of it for years to come with the impending departure of star player Anthony Davis.
That being said, Elfrid Payton is making the tail-end of this season at least entertaining. The former Louisiana Ragin Cajun has been on a roll as of late and achieved something only a handful of players had achieved on Monday night against the Dallas Mavericks; five straight games with a triple-double.
Elfrid Payton has secured his fifth consecutive triple-double, becoming just the fifth player in #NBA history to do so, joining Russell Westbrook, Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan. #DoItBig
— Pelicans PR (@PelicansPR) March 19, 2019
Payton’s only been in the league for five seasons and has put himself in a very elite class. MJ, Wilt, The Big O are some of the greatest players of all time and what we saw on Monday night was nothing short of spectacular.
For long-time fans of the franchise, it’s a strange time to be in that number when Anthony Davis, one of the best players in the entire league, wants out of the crescent city this coming offseason. While he’s an integral part of this franchise, the fact that a Gretna native is doing things like this in the association is something that many in the city of New Orleans and fans of Ragin Cajuns basketball have to love seeing. While a local player like Elfrid isn’t necessarily going to draw big numbers like AD did, putting the right pieces with him could make this franchise a lot more viable going forward.
Here’s hoping that the franchise can get something good out of the trade for Anthony Davis wherever he winds up going during the upcoming offseason. If not, the franchise is going to fall on some hard times and could lead to the team moving on somewhere else much like the New Orleans Jazz did.
-Clint Domingue