New Orleans Pelicans NBA draft: 3 reasons impact players are overlooked

New Orleans Pelicans: Upperclassmen are overlooked in the NBA Draft

That guy is too old

The last reason teams miss out on impact players is that everyone over the age of 19 is labeled as “old.”

If you aren’t a one and done player then surely you are not a top prospect, which is thinking that has caused many teams to miss out on impact talent.

Draymond Green is probably the best example of all three of these, as he couldn’t shoot, isn’t an elite athlete and came into the NBA after four years of college.

More recently, teams passed on Caris LeVert and Taurean Prince because they played four years of college. Both are now impact players for the Nets.

Meanwhile, Thon Maker was taken before both of them partially because of his young age and elite athleticism for his size. How’d that go?

Last year, impact upperclassman Brandon Clarke dropped all the way to the 21st pick in the draft, while scouts drooled over teenagers like Sekou Doumbouya, who may never make a difference in the NBA.

There are several upperclassmen in this year’s draft who fall into the category of “too old” but may be impactful players.

In addition to the aforementioned Xavier Tillman, you have junior Paul Reed, Malachi Flynn, Jordan Nwora and senior Grant Riller, all of whom could make an impact on an NBA roster next season but will be passed over for various reasons.

The New Orleans Pelicans need to avoid the trap of placing players in strict boxes and ignoring skill for youth and athleticism.

Drafting players who know how to play and win is a recipe for success, so the Pelicans shouldn’t discriminate based on current trends.