The New Orleans Pelicans didn't meet their own expectations this past season, going 26-56 and missing the playoffs. While it wasn't what the team had in mind as a unit, there were a handful of players who still should have their heads held high after this season.

Here are some Pelicans standouts who had breakout/surprising seasons (not counting Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears, as they were first-round picks):

Bey surprised a lot of people as he came back from an ACL tear and had a career year in New Orleans. He averaged 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists on 45.1/36.7/84.1 shooting splits.

There were times when he was the only thing working about the Pelicans offense. He had a 42-point performance and five games of at least 30 points. Joe Dumars described Bey as the model of what he wants players to be like in New Orleans.

Going into the season, there were probably a lot of Pelicans fans who didn't even know who McGowens was. He was a former second-round pick who was signed to a two-way deal and averaged 4.8 points per game for his career.

The former Nebraska Cornhuskers standout earned a three-year NBA deal and looks to be an important role player for the next few years of New Orleans' plans. He averaged 8.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists on 48.1/40.9/77.9 shooting splits.

McGowens was a massive boost to the offense off the bench, becoming a reliable scorer when needed. This was a great find by the Pelicans' front office.

Murray ended up playing in just 14 games this season, but New Orleans has to be excited about what it saw during that stretch. The team as a whole looked at its best when the guard was in the lineup, which gives some excitement about the potential of what this team can be if healthy at the start of the year.

The 29-year-old averaged 16.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.6 steals on 48.4/30.6/86.7 splits. It was positive to have him come off an Achilles injury this late in the year, being on a minutes restriction and not being able to play back-to-backs, but still looked great when he was on the court.

There are rumors that he may be shopped this offseason, but it wouldn't be the end of the world if the Pelicans decided to run it back with him next year.

Williamson had a fairly average season on the court this year. He averaged a career-low 21.0 points per game, 5.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 60% from the field and a career-high 71.6% from the charity stripe. He still didn't expand his game beyond the paint.

The surprising part is that Williamson did actually show a bunch of growth in his approach in between games. Whatever the reason, be it money or maturity, he really did take a step up in wanting to be available. He played through things he never would have before.

Even when he did have a rough oblique issue that took him out for a couple of weeks, he came back and played a career-high 35 straight games. Now, if he can figure out how to become more versatile on offense, he could get back to All-Star status.