Pelicans NBA Draft: 3 centers to consider if Stan Van Gundy is hired

With Stan Van Gundy’s development history, the New Orleans Pelicans would be wise to take a look at these three bigs in the 2020 NBA Draft

It feels like the New Orleans Pelicans are on the cusp of finalizing their next head coach. Reports have already indicated that the job is down to four finalists, who are actually three with Tyronn Lue joining the Los Angeles Clippers. That’s left many Pelicans fans believing that Stan Van Gundy is the presumptive favorite.

Why Van Gundy? It’s simple. Stan Van Gundy is a proven NBA coach with successful seasons in every coaching stop he’s made. The Pelicans’ other candidates are mostly assistant coaches with no head coaching experience in the NBA. Sounds pretty clear cut if you ask me.

Of course, we’re also less than a month away from the 2020 NBA Draft so it’s time these two big topics start to collide. That’s right we’re looking at some hypotheticals again, this time asking who the Pelicans might select in the draft if they hire Stan Van Gundy.

My opinion is that the team will look big at some point. That’s because when we detailed Stan Van Gundy’s history of player development, we found a pattern of big-men who became elite under Van Gundy’s tutelage.

It just so happens that, the New Orleans Pelicans need another big man on their roster too. They need a guy who can protect the rim and be a force in the interior because they lacked that last season. With Stan Van Gundy’s working best when he has an interior force on his roster, here are three bigs the Pelicans might target in the 2020 NBA Draft to complement his coaching style.