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Check out our daily collection of Pelicans news and notes from local and national reporters around the Internet on June 8, 2023.

Add Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Ingram to USA World Cup roster

The Team USA roster heading Manilla for the World Cup this summer just gets deeper and more athletic.

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Pelicans News Around the Web 6/8/23

Check out our daily collection of Pelicans news and notes from local and national reporters around the Internet on June 7, 2023.

Projected Round 1 of draft features numerous three-point shooters

During the 2002-03 regular season – the first campaign in New Orleans franchise history – only 18 percent of shots attempted across the NBA came from three-point distance. Contrast that to 2022-23, when that rate more than doubled: 39 percent of field-goal tries were treys.

Pelicans star Zion Williamson announces he is going to be a father in a gender reveal video

Sources: Brandon Ingram, Jaren Jackson Jr. commit to Team USA for World Cup

Two Western Conference All-Star forwards -- the New Orleans Pelicans' Brandon Ingram and the Memphis Grizzlies' Jaren Jackson Jr. -- are committed to playing for Team USA in the FIBA Basketball World Cup championships this summer in the Philippines, sources told ESPN on Monday.

Brandon Ingram, Jaren Jackson Jr. Commit To Team USA

Brandon Ingram and Jaren Jackson Jr. committed to Team USA for this summer's World Cup, sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Former Blue Devil Brandon Ingram Commits To Team USA

Grant Hill and company are busy putting together Team USA for the 2023 FIBA World Cup and one of the invitees is Duke great Brandon Ingram.

New Orleans Pelicans Brandon Ingram is serving his country

It looks like New Orleans Pelicans All-Star forward Brandon Ingram will be representing his country, playing for Team USA’s FIBA World Cup team this summer in the Philippines.

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Pelicans News Around the Web 6/7/23

Jim Eichenhofer

During the 2002-03 regular season – the first campaign in New Orleans franchise history – only 18 percent of shots attempted across the NBA came from three-point distance. Contrast that to 2022-23, when that rate more than doubled: 39 percent of field-goal tries were treys. From that fact alone, it’s easy to understand why no matter how much long-range shooting a team may possess in the modern NBA, it’s always interested in adding more. The top seven teams in three-point percentage this season all had winning records (led by Philadelphia at 38.7), as did 11 of the top 13 most accurate perimeter clubs. In ’22-23, New Orleans was average in accuracy (ranked 15th at 36.4 percent), but very low in volume (29th at 30.1 attempts per game).

During the NBA draft on June 22, expect many teams to place high value on prospects who can add to their shooting talent. Although many of the high-lottery projected picks are players not known for their perimeter accuracy – at least not yet – numerous potential Round 1 selections are three-point marksmen. With the Pelicans holding the 14th pick, let’s begin with prospects who are projected to be selected in the latter half of the lottery. Order of shooters below is based on the average of what prominent mock drafts are predicting for each player.

Gradey Dick, guard, Kansas (career stats: 40.3 percent, 5.7 attempts, one NCAA season)NBA.com describes the Wichita native as “one of the draft’s best shooters who can also score off cuts and off-the-ball movement.” Freshman season featured nine games of four-plus three-point makes, topped by a 6/12 game vs. North Carolina State.Projected draft range: Off the board before the end of the lottery. Most mocks have him being selected between ninth (Utah) and 11th (Orlando).

Jordan Hawkins, guard, Connecticut (37.6 percent, 5.7 attempts, two NCAA seasons)In The Athletic’s mock draft, an anonymous scout says Hawkins “has a case as arguably the best movement shooter in the class. Connecticut had him sprint off screening actions, using his pristine shooting mechanics and ability to stop on a dime to get open and can open 3s.”Projected draft range: Late lottery or somewhere later in the teens. ESPN.com has him at No. 13 to Toronto, while Bleacher Report placed him No. 19 to Golden State.

Jett Howard, guard, Michigan (36.8 percent, 7.3 attempts, one NCAA season)The son of former NBA forward and current Michigan head coach Juwan Howard, he showed marked improvement in the second half of his freshman season. The Athletic noted, “Over his last 12 games, he averaged 17 points per game in Big Ten play while shooting 52 percent from the field, 45 percent from 3 and 89 percent from the line.”Projected draft range: Commonly projected for the late-teens, with Bleacher Report’s initial mock draft after the lottery placing him highest at No. 14 to New Orleans. However, among 10 mocks surveyed by NBA.com, BR was the only site that had Howard going in the lottery.

Brice Sensabaugh, forward, Ohio State (40.5 percent, 4.5 attempts, one NCAA season)Yahoo! described the burly 6-foot-6 player as “a hard-nosed wing who will bury smaller guards on the block if they let him get the inside position. He’s a little bit of a streaky shooter from behind the arc and found more success in the catch-and-shoot as opposed to taking players off the dribble.”Projected draft range: Similar to Howard, Sensabaugh’s name frequently pops up just after the lottery. The Athletic, ESPN.com and Yahoo! all initially projected him to go in the early 20s.

Dariq Whitehead, guard, Duke (42.9 percent, 3.5 attempts, one NCAA season)The lowest-volume gunner among this group of projected first-round picks, Whitehead shot 42/98 on triples as a freshman for the Blue Devils. He heated up at the end of 2022-23, going 10/17 from deep in his last seven games, but was still firing judiciously.Projected draft range: Varies significantly, at least according to prominent mock drafts. Whitehead is placed as high as No. 13 by SB Nation, but was 35th on Yahoo!’s post-lottery list. His average seems to be in the low- to mid-20s.

Brandin Podziemski, guard, Santa Clara (42.4 percent, 4.1 attempts, two NCAA seasons)A transfer to the West Coast Conference after playing sparingly as an Illinois freshman, the southpaw shot 43.8 percent last season. Bleacher Report – which placed him at No. 20 in its mock draft, higher than anyone – praised the Wisconsin native for his “high-level creativity and shot-making.”Projected draft range: Not much agreement. In late May, ESPN.com moved him up several spots, from a second-round projection to No. 27 (Charlotte). That’s quite a difference from The Athletic projecting him to go 44th; Yahoo! listed him at No. 36.

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Check out our daily collection of Pelicans news and notes from local and national reporters around the Internet on June 6, 2023.

NBA draft analysis: Duke's Dereck Lively II could be shot-blocking machine for Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans hold the No. 14 pick in the upcoming draft. Over the next few weeks, we will take an in-depth look at New Orleans’ potential targets in our prospect profile series. Duke center Dereck Lively II is the second player in this series.

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Pelicans News Around the Web 6/6/23

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Photos: Junior Pelicans Leagues Basketball Tournament

Check out our daily collection of Pelicans news and notes from local and national reporters around the Internet on June 5, 2023.

Photos: Pelicans, Saints visit Krewe de Camp

The New Orleans Pelicans and New Orleans Saints visited Krewe de Camp in Covington on Thursday, June 1, 2023 to interact with campers and participate in sports‑related activities.

Recap: Pelicans, Saints visit Krewe de Camp

The New Orleans Pelicans and New Orleans Saints visited Krewe de Camp on Thursday, June 1, 2023 to lead campers in fun basketball and football activities.

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Pelicans News Around the Web 6/5/23

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Check out our daily collection of Pelicans news and notes from local and national reporters around the Internet on June 2, 2023.

Should the New Orleans Pelicans pursue Russell Westbrook in free agency?

NBA Free Agency is quickly approaching, and for the New Orleans Pelicans, this go around will be all about bolstering their team around their nucleus of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, and Trey Murphy III.

Jonas Valanciunas says he'd like to stay with Pelicans, talks about return to Europe

Jonas Valanciunas revealed he hopes he can agree to a contract extension with the New Orleans Pelicans, adding that he sees himself returning to Europe.

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Pelicans News Around the Web 6/2/23

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