New Orleans Pelicans mock 2nd round NBA Draft 2.0

The New Orleans Pelicans have three chances to find an overlooked talent in the NBA Draft.

The New Orleans Pelicans can use their three picks in the 2020 NBA Draft to try and plug holes with low ceiling players, take chances on unknowns or even stash a guy overseas.

Very few second-round picks become impact players, but this is the draft to find one.

Even though some have written this draft off as “weak,” the teams haven’t really seen what most of these guys can do on the big stage after conference tournaments and March Madness were cancelled.

There would have been a few guys who stood out in postseason play and ended up being drafted higher than they will now with no playoff resume to bolster their credentials.

That means the New Orleans Pelicans are more likely to find a guy that teams have overlooked, a player who might not fit the generic profile of a top draft pick, but will find a way to make the NBA.

When we consider that guys such as Manu Ginobili, Marc Gasol and Nikola Jokic all came out of the second round, it’s not impossible that the Pelicans will find the next steal, especially with three picks to work with.

For this mock draft, we just took a look at what the Pelicans might do with their three picks. I’ll give a main option and a couple of fallbacks for each.

In my opinion, the Pelicans should use their picks on older players who might have lower ceilings but will be ready to compete with adults. They didn’t get much out of their draft picks last year, as Nickeil Alexander-Walker barely played, Jaxson Hayes was inconsistent and Zion Williamson was hurt.

The Pelicans can use their picks to add some depth to their bench and maybe they’ll get lucky and find this year’s hidden gem.