Pelica Debrief
Fansided

New Orleans Pelicans: Big Wings to Target in Draft

By Tim Burke

TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 12: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors dribbles the ball as Jrue Holiday #11 of the New Orleans Pelicans defends during the second half of an NBA game at Scotiabank Arena on November 12, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 12: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors dribbles the ball as Jrue Holiday #11 of the New Orleans Pelicans defends during the second half of an NBA game at Scotiabank Arena on November 12, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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New Orleans Pelicans, Josh Green
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 11: Josh Green #0 of the Arizona Wildcats could be a 3-and-D wing for the New Orleans Pelicans (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images) /

New Orleans Pelicans: Potential Wings to take with 13th Pick

Options With The 13th Pick

We’ve covered a few of the big wings in this draft who could be available and all of them could be the right piece with New Orleans. Guys like Devin Vassell, Saddiq Bey, Isaac Okoro, and Precious Achiuwa are on everyone’s radar, but there are a few other possibilities.

While this draft is light on really good on-ball defenders who will be able to step in right away and hold their own against some of the better wings, there are plenty of good off-ball defenders. The Pelicans are capable of stopping dribble penetration with Jrue Holiday and Lonzo Ball so this will play into their hands pretty well.

Patrick Williams – Florida State

The 6’8″ freshman didn’t get the same level of attention as his teammate Vassell but he was just as necessary to his team’s success last year. The Seminoles finished first in the ACC last season and were projected as a second seed by Tim Krueger if the tournament had been played.

A 32% three-point shooting percentage during his lone college season may not seem like Williams is the answer to the Pelicans’ problem but Williams is a good free-throw shooter at 83.8% last season. Since free throw shooting is a strong indicator of pure shooting ability it seems like Williams will be able to stretch his range effectively in the NBA.

On defense is where Williams really shows his abilities. Just his height alone will be valuable in the NBA, but his length (6’11” wingspan) will allow him to be a good help-side defender. If he has worked to improve his footwork during this downtime he could climb up the draft when we finally get this offseason started.

Josh Green – Arizona

I’ve written about Green in the past but it’s bringing up again how good of an individual defender he can be when he enters the league. Green is a only 6’6″ tall but has a 6’10” wingspan with very active hands on defense, he averaged 1.5 steals per game at Arizona last year.

While Green isn’t very good at driving to the rim the Pelicans wouldn’t rely on him to do that very much. Instead Green would be used as a spot up shooter from outside the arc and burying shots. Another part of Green’s game that would help New Orleans is how often he cuts off-ball when on offense, this Pelicans roster is loaded with guys who can create their own shots but not many who consistently move without the ball.

By going with Green, the Pelicans would be drafting a player more for the future than for today.