Before they became the New Orleans Pelicans, they were the New Orleans Hornets (and New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets) first. For 11 seasons the team struggled to make the playoffs or go any further than the first round. They struggled on both ends of the floor, but they are the first franchise with a positive net rating (0.1).

The Pelicans have been middle of the road, through and through, ranking 16th in effective field goal percentage but also 14th in nERD, 14th in offensive rating and 12th in defensive rating.