Happy Thanksgiving! This is a time to reflect on what there is to be happy about. While there might not seem to be a ton to celebrate after a 3-16 start to the New Orleans Pelicans season, there are actually a few things that could provide some light at the end of the tunnel for fans.

Both this season might not be over, and even if it is and they don't come back from this start, some things to smile about have emerged. Here are a couple of reasons to be thankful:

The easiest thing to celebrate is the stellar rookie class that has been delivered by Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver. While trading the 2026 draft pick without protections is certainly ill-advised, it has helped them bring in another potential star player in Derik Queen. Queen, Jeremiah Fears and Micah Peavy all looked like slam-dunk draft selections.

Fears, the No. 7 overall selection, is supposed to be a freshman in college right now. Instead, he is averaging over 15 points per game in the NBA. He has shown great aggression and an ability to get to his spots in the paint, far above what anyone could expect to see from a 19-year-old.

There is plenty of room for his game to grow. He needs to be a more confident shooter, playmake a little more and grow his defensive IQ, but he's at a great spot right now.

Queen has made that draft day trade easier to stomach. He's averaging 14.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists since becoming a regular in the rotation. His offensive skillset is incredible to watch. Like Fears, the defensive side will need to grow, but there's plenty more to get excited about.

Peavy has been fantastic on the defensive side of the ball and as a cutter. His playtime has been massively increased by some injuries, but it will be hard to completely take him off the court when players like Jordan Poole and Herb Jones come back.

It may not be translating into wins yet, but it's not hard to see that the team is playing far better basketball than they were at the start of the year. Pace is way up, three-point attempts are up, rebounding is way up and those are just a couple of things that are seeing improvement.

Even more than just the numbers, the team is more fun to watch and passing the eye test. There are still some growing pains, as to be expected, but they get better at different things with each passing game.

Because of the weaker bottom half of the Western Conference, the Pelicans are just four games out of the play-in. There is still a chance!