New Orleans Pelicans NBA Draft: Finding the next Fred VanVleet

New Orleans Pelicans NBA Draft: Markus Howard is a fit

Markus Howard’s Fit on the Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans are going to need a backup point guard, even if they decide to re-sign Frank Jackson.

Jackson has proven himself to be a solid defender and streaky scorer, so the Pels would be wise to bring him back on a low-cost deal if no other team blows away their offer.

Even with Jackson Howard could be a guy the Pelicans take a chance on, as he offers something they don’t currently have: a lightning-in-a-bottle scorer.

The Pelicans’ bench struggled to score at times, often went stagnant and relied far too heavily on spot-up 3-pointers.

The bench unit lacks players who can get their own shot, guys who change the pace of the game and other than J.J. Redick, they often struggled to shoot the 3-pointer consistently.

Howard is not a guy who is going to play big minutes in the NBA, but he could come in and change games with his scoring in short bursts. If you look at how well Trey Burke played for Dallas in the playoffs, you can get a sense of what Howard could be.

He can get to the rim and has the strength to finish, and regardless of what you think of his defense, the guy can flat out shoot the 3-pointer.

Howard is also 21-years-old, which some use as a knock against him, as not many four-year seniors end up making the NBA. But his experience means the Pelicans wouldn’t be taking on another long-term project, as Howard has the smarts to play now.

He is going to earn his way onto a team eventually and be a scorer off of some team’s bench. Guys who can score like Howard usually find jobs, so it’s just going to require a team to take a chance on a guy who is not tall.

Howard is going to be a fun player to watch if and when he makes the NBA and could make a lot of teams regret overlooking him.