The New Orleans Pelicans should extend Josh Hart, who could be the next Jimmy Butler.
The New Orleans Pelicans will have a lot of tough decisions to make over the next few seasons.
After extending Brandon Ingram they have to decide when to offer Lonzo Ball an extension and how much.
Do they trade Jrue Holiday or run it back? Some (ok, it’s just me) have even suggested the Pels might try to trade Zion Williamson for the league MVP.
But the toughest decision they have to make revolves around Josh Hart. Hart will be entering the final year of a team-friendly contract that he has definitely outplayed.
He is going to get a raise from someone, and if the Pelicans are smart, it will be them.
Hart is 25-years-old and hasn’t had a breakout season yet, but his career has been reminiscent of another late bloomer, All-Star Jimmy Butler.
New Orleans Pelicans: Jimmy Butler and Josh Hart have a lot in common.
If you take a look at the respective careers of Jimmy Butler and Josh Hart, you’ll see there are a lot of commonalities.
Both played all four years of college, which is not common in today’s game, and had a lot of success at good programs, Butler at Marquette and Hart at Villanova.
Hart was actually the superior college player, averaging three more points per game in his senior season than Jimmy Butler.
Both were selected 30th overall in the NBA draft. Both saw limited action in their rookie season, though Hart did start 23 of the 63 games he played for the Lakers. Butler only averaged 8.5 minutes per game in his rookie campaign.
In year two their numbers were nearly identical, with Butler averaging 8.6 points and 4 rebounds to Hart’s 7.8 points and 3.7 rebounds.
Like Butler, Hart didn’t average double digits until his 3rd season, and also like Butler, his rebounding improved. Hart averaged 6.5 rebounds off the Pelicans’ bench, which was top-six for guards in the NBA. Butler has only averaged at least 6.5 rebounds once in his entire career, which was this season.
Butler blew up in season four, averaging 20 points and 5.8 rebounds to make his first All-Star game. But what really blew up was his minutes, as Butler was now playing over 38 a game.
Could Hart make a similar leap? If Josh Hart’s minutes go from 27 to 37 as Butler’s did, he very well could be an 18 point a game scorer next season.
Jimmy Butler didn’t become an All-Star until he was 25 and now he is one of the best players in the league, leading a very good playoff team in Miami.
Josh Hart is already a better rebounder, 3-point shooter and can hold his own on defense, so could be the next late blooming All-Star.
Let’s just hope he does it on the New Orleans Pelicans.