Things to Look for in Summer League for the New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans summer league team is in-season in Las Vegas as they look to develop their young players. The Pelicans are currently a team that is looking to contend and the young players that they currently possess are likely to be on the back end of the team rotation or the last players on the official roster. Last year in summer league, the Pelicans went 3-2. Summer league is a great opportunity for younger players to gain reps and develop their game in hopes of making the team in the fall. Earlier this week, the Pelicans lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves to open up summer league.
There are three key players to keep an eye on for the Pelicans. The first player is guard Jordan Hawkins. In his rookie season, Hawkins saw early playing time and then saw his minutes decrease due to opposing teams hunting him on the defensive end. Look for Hawkins to play as if he’s the first option in the summer league. Hawkins hoisted up 21 shots, including eight triples in the first summer league game. Hawkins is a player that’s projected to be in the Pelicans’ rotation for shooting purposes this coming season.
The second player to keep tabs on is Yves Missi. Missi was recently the 21st overall pick in this year’s draft. Ideally, for a team that is looking to contend, if Missi can be this year’s version of Dereck Lively, that will tremendously help New Orleans. Missi brings rim running abilities and more importantly, rim protection for the Pelicans. The key for Missi in summer league play is his IQ and being in the right spots at the right time to challenge shots.
The final player to keep a close eye on is Antonio Reeves. Reeves is another shooter on the Pelicans. New Orleans has a plethora of shooters and it’s likely at the beginning of the regular season that Reeves gets lost in the shuffle. Reeves can find himself a spot on the team - or even crack the rotation with efficient shooting performances in the summer league. He has the potential to be a steal pick because players who are selected later and whose strength is shooting - have the best chance of their skill sets translating to a league that’s heavy on perimeter shooting. These three players on the Pelicans’ summer league team have the best chance to make an impact on the Pelicans.
