New Orleans Pelicans Made Smart Gamble With Bryce Dejean-Jones Signing

By Matt Cianfrone | Aug 16, 2015

When the New Orleans Pelicans signed Bryce Dejean-Jones the reaction across the Twittersphere was understandably one of confusion and frustration (including here at PD on the confusion side of things).

After all, Dejean-Jones looked like the fourth or fifth best option from the Pelicans Las Vegas Summer League roster to extend a camp invite too, beyond established D-League players like Larry Drew II, Khem Birch or even Fuquan Edwin or Victor Rudd.

Yet as more time has gone by and the initial shock has worn off, I have found myself coming around to the decision and wondering if in fact it could turn out to be a great move for the Pelicans going forward.

It all starts with the cost. Considering their backgrounds players like Birch, Drew and even Edwin (before his arrest for soliciting a prostitute) and Rudd were going to be more expensive to get on board than Rudd. Considering Birch, Drew and Rudd have already landed overseas deals, the Pelicans probably would have had to pay more to get them in camp and potentially made some type of minutes guarantee. With Dejean-Jones there is no need, getting him into an NBA camp is the best move for him so New Orleans was able to do it at a reasonable price.

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With the price not getting out of hand, New Orleans is not under any pressure to keep Dejean-Jones around to justify the decision, which makes it easier for them to just base things on if Dejean-Jones has an NBA future or not. Considering that future isn’t about this season, a cheap contract to potentially keep on the end of the roster and not use on an NBA player is perfect.

While Dante Cunningham and Quincy Pondexter are fine NBA players, the Pelicans still need depth on the wing. If Cunningham loses just one step of quickness the ability he showed to play small forward last year could be gone. Dejean-Jones gives the Pelicans a player to try to groom into that depth piece.

There are signs that Dejean-Jones can maybe be a bench wing in the NBA. During the Vegas summer league, Dejean-Jones shot 50 percent from three-point land, and while it came on a small sample size the scoring ability has followed him throughout his career. At 6’6” with a 6’9.25” wingspan, Dejean-Jones also has the size and athleticism to potentially develop into a nice defender.

The key to Dejean-Jones is decision-making both on and off the court. On the court it comes in the form of shot selection, which was questionable at times in the summer league, which the Pelicans get to see up close now in camp. Off the court it means staying out of the trouble that led to Dejean-Jones playing at three different colleges and an immaturity that saw him pick up a silly technical foul in Vegas.

If Dejean-Jones is able to fill a role among more talented players, New Orleans could have a steal. Considering the rotation for this season seems set and the team still has a roster spot open for a fifth guard, Dejean-Jones is a worthy gamble. New Orleans can send him to the D-League during the season where he could hopefully get some playing time and develop if he performs well in camp.

Considering how important cheap, under market deals will be for the Pelicans going forward, Dejean-Jones presents the right type of gamble. A player that has tools to fill in a position of need is much more valuable than someone like Nate Wolters, now the patience just has to be there to see if it was worth it.

Next: The Dejean-Jones Signing Happened Because the Pelicans Handled Summer League Perfectly

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