NBA Draft: Top 3 power forwards for the New Orleans Pelicans

New Orleans Pelicans NBA Draft: Paul Reed and Xavier Tillman

Paul Reed

Ok, so I lied, there are four power forwards I like. I am going to list Paul Reed and Xavier Tillman here in the hopes that one of them will fall to the second round.

Reed comes into the draft as a junior, so is a bit older, which might hurt his draft standing. He is a tenacious defender and rebounder who averaged 2.6 blocks and 1.9 steals per game for DePaul.

He is a double-double machine who averaged 10.7 rebounds per game in his final season at DePaul, including 18 double-doubles.

Reed will be ready to contribute right away and could be the versatile defender the Pelicans need at the forward position, a guy who can defend three spots and will grab a ton of boards.

He runs the floor well so should be able to lead the fast break for the fast-paced Pelicans.

Xavier Tillman

I’ve talked a lot about Tillman as my personal favorite player for the Pelicans in this draft. In fact, if he is around in the late first-round or early second, the Pels should trade up to get him.

Tillman is another guy who can defend all over the floor, guarding 3-5 and being disruptive everywhere he goes. He averaged 2.1 blocks and 1.2 steals per game in college and was constantly disrupting plays by getting into passing lanes as well.

He is not the greatest athlete but is a smart player who is always in the right position on defense and always seems to make the smart pass on offense.

Tillman even put to bed one of the biggest criticisms of his game by putting on a shooting display at the combine.

If Tillman can extend his range to the 3-point line, he could end up being the most impactful player in this draft, as he can really get after it on defense.

Power forward is definitely a position the New Orleans Pelicans should consider in the NBA Draft, as there are versatile players who can fill multiple spots and complement what they already have.