Draft

none

Jim Eichenhofer

NBA draft analysts attempting to project New Orleans’ lone 2024 pick currently have bigger dilemmas on their hands, including trying to forecast which player will go to Atlanta at the top of the board. A draft class that features no consensus No. 1 pick could create a highly chaotic, unpredictable Round 1 on June 26 (ABC, ESPN, 7 p.m. Central), with twists and turns unlike the NBA has seen in over a decade at the annual event. Somewhat paradoxically however, updated mock-draft predictions for the Pelicans at No. 21 overall actually have reached some semblance of agreement. When Pelicans.com checked in with various websites last week, the projections were somewhat split between guards and centers, but this time there’s a significant frontcourt tilt to what draft pundits are expecting New Orleans to do with its late-first round selection (player pro comparisons are provided by a wide range of sites, such as Bleacher Report):

The Athletic (June 5): Zach Edey, Purdue center“The Pelicans might have a significant need at center with&nbsp;Jonas Valanciunas hitting free agency. Ideally they’d find one who can shoot from 3 to play next to Zion Williamson, but Edey is clearly the best big on the board at this point.”Edey pro comparisons: Boban Marjanovic, Jonas Valanciunas, Ivica Zubac

Bleacher Report (June 7): Yves Missi, Baylor center“(At the draft combine in Chicago), Yves Missi measured well at nearly 6-11 in socks with a 7-2 wingspan. He should start to draw mid-to-late first-round interest from teams that covet his defensive upside as a rim protector and his ability to move his feet around the perimeter and recover in pick-and-roll coverage.”Missi pro comparisons: Clint Capela, Jalen Duren, Kevin Looney, Mark Williams

CBSSports.com/Colin Ward-Henninger (June 4): Carlton Carrington, Pittsburgh guard“Who knows what the Pelicans roster will look like come October, so they’ll likely just draft the best prospect available at No. 21. To me that’s Carrington (better known as Bub), who profiles as a heat-check bucket-getter with a deadly pull-up jumper who can also be a secondary playmaker (think Bones Hyland or Lou Williams, but bigger).”Carrington pro comparisons: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Spencer Dinwiddie, Shaun Livingston, Lou Williams

CBSSports.com/Adam Finkelstein (June 11): Zach Edey, Purdue center“Jonas Valanciunas is a free agent and center is the one position that the Pelicans haven’t invested any recent draft picks. Edey, who was as dominant a college center as we’ve seen in a long time, is the best one on the board, but DaRon Holmes could be another option.”Edey pro comparisons: Boban Marjanovic, Jonas Valanciunas, Ivica Zubac

ESPN.com (June 11) For need: Carlton Carrington, Pittsburgh guard“The Pelicans have good depth and might be willing to take a swing on a high-upside player such as Carrington, who has one of the highest ceilings of any prospect in this range.”Carrington pro comparisons: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Spencer Dinwiddie, Shaun Livingston, Lou WilliamsFor value: Kel’el Ware, Indiana center“This is still a gamble at No. 21, but an interesting one for a New Orleans team that might need to reenvision its minutes at center next season.”Ware pro comparisons: Jarrett Allen, Mo Bamba, Brook Lopez, Myles Turner

Hoops Hype (June 11): Zach Edey, Purdue center“When asked where he believes his current draft range is by HoopsHype, Edey replied between 10 to 25, and if this pick holds, it could make sense for the bruising center.”Edey pro comparisons: Boban Marjanovic, Jonas Valanciunas, Ivica Zubac

NBADraft.net (June 12): Zach Edey, Purdue center“New Orleans continues to push to add the right pieces around their core to make the jump into true contender status. New Orleans will hope that Edey can speed his game up and give them consistent minutes.”Edey pro comparisons: Boban Marjanovic, Jonas Valanciunas, Ivica Zubac

NBA Draft Room (June 7): Kel’el Ware, Indiana center“Ware had a big sophomore season, his first at Indiana, improving in all aspects of the game and showing a better competitive fire. His upside could be too much to pass on at this point in the draft.”Ware pro comparisons: Jarrett Allen, Mo Bamba, Brook Lopez, Myles Turner

The Ringer (June 4): Yves Missi, Baylor center“Missi could become everything the Pelicans hoped they were getting when they drafted Jaxson Hayes, as an active rim protector and vertical threat. And with Jonas Valanciunas unlikely to return, there’s a clear need for a center.”Missi pro comparisons: Clint Capela, Jalen Duren, Kevin Looney, Mark Williams

SB Nation (June 10): Kyle Filipowski, Duke center“He lacks ideal length and speed for an NBA big man, but if his shot develops, he could give New Orleans a big man who can space the floor and get the ball to Zion Williamson and company.”Filipowski pro comparisons: Santi Aldama, Zach Collins, Isaiah Hartenstein, Brad Miller

USA Today (June 11): Yves Missi, Baylor center“Good athlete and is an effective rim protector and rebounder, but must work on offensive game, especially establishing post moves, to justify a possible lottery pick. Has trouble at free throw line and could add pounds to body to boost draft stock.”Missi pro comparisons: Clint Capela, Jalen Duren, Kevin Looney, Mark Williams

Yahoo! Sports (June 4): Yves Missi, Baylor center“Missi didn’t shoot the ball well during the combine but still projects as a high-producing center in the NBA with how well he moves and his development as a pick-and-roll option. He was one of the best rim-running bigs in college basketball this past season.”Missi pro comparisons: Clint Capela, Jalen Duren, Kevin Looney, Mark Williams

mock-draft-roundup-projections-shift-primarily-to-centers-for-pelicans-at-no-21

Mock draft roundup: Projections shift primarily to centers for Pelicans at No. 21

After finishing 2023-24 with a 49-33 record – New Orleans’ best regular season in 15 years – the Pelicans are set to select 21st overall in the 2024 NBA Draft on June 26. That would be the franchise’s lowest first-round pick over the exact same timeframe, with the then-Hornets picking guard Darren Collison at No. 21 in 2009. Given New Orleans’ late-first round draft position and the highly unpredictable nature of the 2024 class, it may be more difficult than ever to project which players will be available to the Pelicans on the final Wednesday of this month. More than is the case in the vast majority of years, NBA analysts vary widely in their evaluations and draft ranges for a multitude of 2024 prospects, potentially making this crop an “eye of the beholder” class.

With that in mind, here are the most recent projections from numerous draft sites on how New Orleans will use its 21st pick (Orlando, Toronto and Cleveland hold the three picks just before the Pelicans at 18-20, while Phoenix selects at No. 22). NOLA currently does not hold a second-round pick. All quoted comments on the team's Round 1 options below are excerpts from analysis by each respective media outlet. With 2024 being a lesser-known collection of players relative to many Junes, pro player comparisons listed are a helpful compilation via sources including Bleacher Report, ESPN.com, The Ringer and NBADraft.net, among others:

The Athletic (May 12): Zach Edey, Purdue center“Edey was the best player in college basketball, averaging 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and more than two blocks per game on his way to back-to-back National Player of the Year awards. He establishes position anywhere and everywhere on the court because of his size and strength, yet possesses remarkable touch around the rim.”Edey pro comparisons: Boban Marjanovic, Jonas Valanciunas, Ivica Zubac

Bleacher Report (June 4): Yves Missi, Baylor center“Yves Missi would be an intriguing option. While he doesn’t have the spacing you’d want from the ideal (Zion) Williamson running mate, he should be an early contributor as a rim-runner who adds both paint protection and enough fluidity to defend pick-and-rolls.”Missi pro comparisons: Clint Capela, Jalen Duren, Kevin Looney, Mark Williams

CBSSports.com/Gary Parrish (May 14): Yves Missi, Baylor center“Missi is an incredible physical specimen who is excellent at the rim on offense and in possession of enough athleticism, size and strength to excel defensively.”Missi pro comparisons: Clint Capela, Jalen Duren, Kevon Looney, Mark Williams

ESPN.com (June 3): Isaiah Collier, USC guard“With few teams in the Nos. 12-20 range in the market for a lead guard with questionable shooting ability, Collier has a wide range because of the amount of playmaking usage he’ll likely need to reach his full potential and the fact that most of the teams picking outside the top 10 are in win-now mode. The Pelicans might be a team willing to take a longer view, as they don’t have any glaring roster needs that they are likely to fill at this stage in the draft.”Collier pro comparisons: Eric Bledsoe, Tyreke Evans, Emmanuel Mudiay, Jeff Teague

Hoops Hype (May 28): Zach Edey, Purdue center“When asked where he believes his current draft range is by HoopsHype, Edey replied between 10 to 25, and if this pick holds, it could make sense for the bruising center.”Edey pro comparisons: Boban Marjanovic, Jonas Valanciunas, Ivica Zubac

NBA Draft Room (May 30): Kel’el Ware, Indiana center“Ware had a big sophomore season, his first at Indiana, improving in all aspects of the game and showing a better competitive fire. His upside could be too much to pass on at this point in the draft.”Ware pro comparisons: Jarrett Allen, Mo Bamba, Brook Lopez, Myles Turner

SB Nation (May 12): Ja’Kobe Walter, Baylor guard“At 6’5 with a 6’10 wingspan, Walter is an off-ball wing who can space the floor and defend bigger guards. He’s a smart relocator around the three-point line, and got up an impressive 220 three-point attempts as a freshman at Baylor even if his accuracy waned.”Walter pro comparisons: Reggie Bullock, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Khris Middleton, Gary Trent Jr.

SI.com (June 3): Nikola Topic, Serbia guard“This feels like the lower end of draft range for Topic, but this appears to be a solid fit if it happens.”Topic pro comparisons: Goran Dragic, Josh Giddey, Vasilije Micic, Tony Parker, Tomas Satoransky

Sporting News (May 14): Zach Edey, Purdue center“Edey was even more dominant than usual on Purdue’s run to the national championship, averaging 29.5 points, 14.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. He showed that his conditioning and mobility improved tremendously, playing all but two minutes and 50 seconds from the Sweet 16 through the title game.”Edey pro comparisons: Boban Marjanovic, Jonas Valanciunas, Ivica Zubac

USA Today (May 12): Kyshawn George, Miami guard“Scouts who tend to like big guards are intrigued by him and rave about his playmaking instincts. He averaged 0.72 passes per touch, via Stats Perform, which ranked among the most of any player included on the latest consensus big board. Although he is a late bloomer, he shot 40.8 percent on 3-pointers in his first year of college basketball."George pro comparisons: Kevin Huerter, Joe Ingles, Cam Johnson

mock-draft-roundup-centers-guards-dominate-projections-for-pelicans-no-21-pick

Mock draft roundup: Centers, guards dominate projections for Pelicans' No. 21 pick

Although the initial focus of a 2019 blockbuster trade between New Orleans and the Los Angeles Lakers centered on the big-name players who changed addresses between the Gulf Coast and the West (Anthony Davis, Brandon Ingram), a highly-appealing aspect of the deal from a Pelicans perspective was the significant future draft capital it meant for the Crescent City. The transaction is still yielding dividends a half-decade later.

With June 1 as a pre-established deadline, New Orleans officially chose to defer the rights to a future first-round pick from the Lakers to 2025. The Pelicans had the option to take over L.A.’s first-rounder this year – which is No. 17 overall – but opted to do so next June instead, with that selection determined by the Lakers’ placement in the 2024-25 standings. There is consensus agreement among NBA draft analysts that next year’s draft class features more talent and productive prospects than the one that will join the league later this month. The 2024 NBA Draft is scheduled to be held June 26-27 in Barclays Center.

New Orleans maintains its own first-round pick (No. 21 overall) in this year’s event. For the first time, the NBA has split the annual draft into two nights. Round 1 will occur June 26 from Brooklyn, followed by Round 2 the next evening. ABC and ESPN are televising the 30-pick first round, with ESPN carrying the latter round (28 picks this year, due to Philadelphia and Phoenix vacating selections as a result of violating tampering rules).

pelicans-defer-rights-to-lakers-first-round-pick-to-2025

Pelicans defer rights to Lakers first-round pick to 2025

Pelicans.com

The New Orleans Pelicans will have the 21st overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft.

The NBA broke six ties among teams with identical regular-season records on Monday, April 21 through random drawings to determine the order of selection including breaking the Pelicans three-way tie with the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks, each team having finished the regular season 49-33.

The result was the Bucks finishing with the 21st slot, the Suns with the 22nd and the Pelicans with the 23rd. The Pelicans have swap rights with the Bucks for this year's first round draft pick giving them to right to swap the 21st and 23rd selections.

The other relevant tiebreaker for the Pelicans is the four-way tie between the Philadelphia 76ers, the Indiana Pacers, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic with the Lakers finishing second in the group of four teams tied with 47-35 record in the regular season. The Lakers were awarded the 17th selection. The Pelicans have the right to obtain the Lakers' selection in the draft, but hold the option to defer receiving the Lakers' first round selection to the 2025 NBA Draft.

The drawings were conducted by NBA President of League Operations Byron Spruell at the NBA office in Secaucus, N.J. The tiebreaker process was overseen by Marc Dieli, a partner from the accounting firm of Ernst & Young.

The rest of the first round selection order will be finalized when the NBA draft lottery is held Sunday, May 12 at 2&nbsp;p.m. ESPN will broadcast the lottery.

The first round of the NBA Draft will take place on Wednesday, June 26, and the second round will take place on Thursday, June 27.

pelicans-21st-pick-first-round-draft-pick-tiebreaker-2024-nba-draft

Pelicans to have 21st pick in 2024 NBA Draft

The NBA announced today that Pelicans guards Dyson Daniels and Jordan Hawkins have been selected to compete in the 2024 Panini Rising Stars, which will take place on Friday, Feb. 16 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis as part of NBA All-Star 2024. The NBA’s annual showcase of premier young talent will air live at 8 p.m. CT on TNT.

For the third straight season, Panini Rising Stars will feature a three-game mini tournament among four teams comprised of NBA rookies, sophomores and NBA G League players. The pool of 28 players for Panini Rising Stars consists of 11 NBA rookies, 10 NBA sophomores and seven NBA G League players.

The combined 21 NBA players for Panini Rising Stars, selected by NBA assistant coaches, will be drafted onto three seven-player teams. The seven NBA G League players, selected by the NBA league office, will comprise the fourth team.

Daniels, 6-7, 203, who was selected 8th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, is averaging 5.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists in his sophomore season. The Bendigo, Australia, native leads all rookies and sophomores with 60 steals this season, tying him for eighth in the NBA. Daniels’s 128 deflections ranks sixth in the NBA and leads all first and second year players.

Hawkins, 6-5, 192, who was selected 14th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Connecticut, is averaging 10.5 points while shooting .391 from three-point range, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists. Hawkins leads all rookies and ranks second among NBA rookies and sophomores with 91 made threes this season. Hawkins ranks eighth among NBA rookies in scoring, while averaging the second-fewest minutes per game of that group (21.6 mpg). Hawkins is one of three rookies with multiple 30-point games this season, and one of eight first or second year players.

Daniels and Hawkins become the tenth and eleventh players in New Orleans franchise history to participate in the Rookie Challenge/Rising Stars Game, joining Chris Paul, Anthony Davis, Buddy Hield, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Nicolò Melli, Zion Williamson, Herbert Jones, Jose Alvarado and Trey Murphy III.

dyson-daniels-jordan-hawkins-2024-rising-stars-nba-all-star

Dyson Daniels and Jordan Hawkins named to 2024 Panini Rising Stars

Go behind the scenes for New Orleans Pelicans guard Jordan Hakwins' first day with the Pelicans after being drafted 14th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft.

jordan-hawkins-guard-new-orleans-pelicans-first-day-behind-the-scenes

Behind the Scenes: Jordan Hawkins' first day with the Pelicans

Go behind the scenes at New Orleans Pelicans guard Jordan Hawkins' first community event with the Pelicans at the Youth Empowerment Project and 18th Ward Sports Club's youth basketball camp on Tuesday, June 27, 2023.

jordan-hawkins-guard-new-orleans-pelicans-behind-the-scenes-community-event

Behind the scenes at Jordan Hawkins' first community event with the Pelicans

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jordan Hawkins' talks about his journey to the NBA after being drafted 14th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft in his one-on-one interview with team reporter Erin Summers.

jordan-hawkins-guard-new-orleans-pelicans-2023-draft-pick-interview-1-on-1

Jordan Hawkins talks journey to the NBA in one-on-one interview

Presented By

Chevron

<a title="Pelicans Livestreams" href="https://www.nba.com/pelicans/live" target="_blank">LIVE: Pelicans End of Season Interviews with David Griffin, Willie Green | WATCH &gt;&gt;</a>