During a sprawling 18-minute question-and-answer session at the New Orleans Pelicans' media day in late September, Anthony Davis offered a blueprint for his team to reach its elevated goals.

"We want to be kind of like how Boston was last year: not having a lot of talent, but them guys play hard," Davis said. "That's how they were able to win games. That's what we want."

Six weeks after that declaration, the Pelicans enter Monday night's tilt with those Boston Celtics owning the league's worst record at 1-9. ESPN's Basketball Power Index projects the Pelicans to win only 27.5 games. What's more, BPI gives the Pelicans a 0.4 percent chance at making the playoffs and a 35.7 percent chance at landing a top-3 draft pick (and that number spikes to 97 percent for a top-10 selection).

Celtics fans, still yearning for another star to truly launch their team to legitimate contender status, can't help but look at the Pelicans and see a different sort of blueprint for advancement.

Let's be absolutely clear here: It's way too premature to start wondering about Davis' future in New Orleans. Even if the Pelicans can't pull themselves out of this early season funk, the team is far more likely to make changes within its coaching staff or front office, which has failed to surround Davis with the sort of complementary players that would maximize his talents, than move a transcendent 23-year-old big man. And Davis committed to building here in that same media day session.

"I love it here," Davis said. "My goal is to bring a championship here."

If New Orleans' brass ever decided that the nuclear route was the only viable option -- or if Davis just got so fed up with their mediocrity that he asked to be moved -- then Boston would be one of the only teams in the league with the sort of assets that could actually make the Pelicans ponder a deal.

While the Celtics haven't been healthy enough this season to know exactly where they stand in the Eastern Conference, it seems safe to say that they still need one more piece to truly establish themselves as a legitimate threat. Boston made a strong pitch to Kevin Durant this summer with hopes of landing an immediate one-two punch after inking Al Horford to a four-year, $113 million deal. Durant elected to head west to Golden State but that won't stop Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge from swinging for the fences.

While Davis used the Celtics as a comparison, the two teams couldn't be more different. Boston has excellent depth including a young core with players like Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder signed to team-friendly deals. What Boston lacks is a difference-maker like Davis. New Orleans, meanwhile, has struggled to find the right pieces to put around Davis and personnel missteps will make it difficult to change that. Health woes haven't helped the Pelicans, but it's far from the only reason they've failed to progress.

For the sake of conversation, let's say Ainge called Pelicans GM Dell Demps and threw out an offer like this: Jaylen Brown (No. 3 pick in 2016), Avery Bradley (25-year-old on bargain deal having All-Star-caliber season), Brooklyn's 2017 and 2018 first-round picks, another future first-round pick (either one of Boston's own or one its owed via Memphis), and $17 million in expiring salaries for Davis and Omer Asik?

The Celtics, who probably can't afford to pay all of their young talent moving forward, get their star while maintaining much of their core. With two 2016 first-round picks stashed overseas, the Celtics would still have a pipeline of young talent despite moving three years worth of first-round picks in that swap.

The Pelicans hit the reset button and emerge with two high lottery picks in a loaded 2017 draft and would have two more firsts the following year (and maybe again in 2019). What's more, New Orleans would have future cap flexibility to build around those picks and create a sustained contender. Alas, having Davis locked up long term under his new non-Rose Rule extension, and with New Orleans desperately needing something more than hope to sell to an antsy fanbase, moving the big man seems unlikely for the foreseeable future.

Until Ainge finds his next move, the Celtics' more pressing concern is getting back to playing like the team Davis referenced on media day. After two embarrassing losses to the Nuggets and Wizards last week, Thomas lamented how Boston wasn't the hardest-playing team on the court any more. The Celtics responded with strong performances in winning both ends of a back-to-back against the Knicks and Pacers but still haven't put together a full 48-minute effort.

The Celtics are hoping to have Horford back on the court for the first time since Oct. 29. Horford has missed Boston's past six games while recovering from a concussion. Crowder remains sidelined by an ankle injury, though he could be available later this week. Boston has yet to be at full strength this season after both Marcus Smart and Kelly Olynyk -- two players who shuffled to starting roles the past two games -- missed the start of the season because of injury.

A healthy Boston roster will tell us more about their potential this season. While Ainge has been patient as part of this quick rebuild since Brad Stevens took over in 2013, it's fair to wonder if the Celtics need to cash in soon before the price tags on their young core start to rise and make it more difficult to add additional impact talent.