New Orleans Pelicans: CBS says Nesmith, Stewart are Best Fits

The New Orleans Pelicans have a few needs when it comes to the draft, but there are some players who could fill them.

The New Orleans Pelicans have as much young talent as any team in the NBA, but they still have a few holes that need to be filled via the draft or free agency.

With the draft right around the corner (maybe) teams are filling out their big boards and identifying players that can help the team now and in the future.

CBS Sports recently ran an article that listed each lottery team’s biggest needs, as well as the players who could best fill them.

The article, which was co-written by Colin Ward-Henninger and Kyle Boone said the New Orleans Pelicans would be looking for a backup wing and a defensive center.

We agree with that assessment and have been making our own lists of players who might fit these profiles.

The New Orleans Pelicans can address these needs in the draft or free agency, so when it comes to the draft, they will likely just take the best player available and not choose a player based strictly on need.

This draft is more of a crapshoot than ever before, as teams did not have conference tournaments, March Madness or the Chicago Draft Combine to use to evaluate players in high-pressure situations.

This could be a year where the top players fall outside of the lottery, which means the New Orleans Pelicans will probably get a chance to draft someone they really like with the 12th or 13th pick.

Here’s what we think of the two guys CBS identified as matches for the New Orleans Pelicans.