The New Orleans Pelicans have historically been one of the more underwhelming teams in the NBA. It doesn't take long for any preseason hype to completely disappear, and it has gotten to the point where their preseason expectations aren't high to begin with.

A recent graph from Lev Akabas on X showed that the Pelicans have been the "most disappointing" team in the NBA from 2010 to now. They, on average, finish 4.4 games below their preseason win projection.

That is the lowest mark in the league, with the Los Angeles Lakers right behind them at 4.3 below. The Oklahoma City Thunder have been the complete opposite, averaging 4.4 games above their projections.

When looking over the past couple of seasons alone, it's not hard to see where New Orleans' biggest issue comes from: the health of their star players.

Last season alone is doing some heavy lifting in keeping the Pelicans down as a unit. The preseason win total was at 46.5. It made sense.

Their star players are getting older and, in theory, should be much better. They added Dejounte Murray during the Summer. It was a team that won 49 games the year before, so they are even giving them some room to wiggle there.

Instead, their entire starting unit missed large chunks of the season. Zion Williamson played 30 games, Herbert Jones played 20 games and Dejounte Murray played 31 games. Even Trey Murphy II and CJ McCollum, who were healthier, played in just 53 and 56 games, respectively. That is not a recipe for success.

New Orleans also traded away Brandon Ingram, who was a big part of that preseason total being so high.

They won just 21 games and finished 25 wins below their expected win total.

Back in 2023/2024, the Pelicans actually had five wins above their projections, and it was a year where the team actually stayed healthy for the most part. Then, Williamson missed the postseason, and the wheels fell off.

Heading into this season, the goal is the same as it has been every year to varying success. Keep their starting players healthy. They've also focused on building out as much reliable depth as they can, to possibly make up for whatever injuries do pop up.

Luckily for them, their preseason win odds are lowered, putting the expectations lower than they have been in years. Their 31.5 win total is the lowest that it has been since 2012.

If they can stay healthy, this roster should be good enough to finish with at least 32 wins and avoid the 'disappointment' tag once again.