New Orleans Pelicans: Best Draft Fit at Each Position

New Orleans Pelicans: Best Draft Fit at Small Forward

This one was a toss up between Devin Vassell and Saddiq Bey, both of whom fit the profile of what the Pelicans are looking for in a wing.

Bey is a bit bigger and shoots the 3-pointer slightly better, but Vassell is a better defender at this point.

Vassell is the prototype for the 3-and-D wing, a guy who knocks down 41.5 percent of his 3-pointers while getting a block and 1.4 steals per game.

But Vassell is not just a defender and shooter of corner three’s, he can get to the hoop on the pick-and-roll and has a soft touch around the rim.

He is also a plus-rebounder for his position, grabbing 5.1 per game, which is something the Pelicans need out of their guards and forwards, as Zion is often leaking out for dunks on the other end.

Vassell is not a great playmaker and the Pelicans wouldn’t need him to be, but he does have decent handles and is strong with the ball, so he doesn’t turn it over much.

The Pelicans are turnover prone so it is no small deal that Vassell has a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio.

Vassell is one of those guys who may rocket up the big boards as the draft gets closer, but if he is available when the Pelicans pick, he might be the best fit in the entire draft.

The New Orleans Pelicans can be patient, they can be aggressive or somewhere in the meaty curve in between.

It’s a good position in which to enter the draft and gives the Pelicans a lot of leverage to make moves. The 2020 NBA draft is going to be the most uncertain draft in history and the Pelicans will most certainly be at the center of it one way or another.