2020 NBA Draft: Analysis of the New Orleans Pelicans’ second round

What to make of the New Orleans Pelicans’ moves in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft

The New Orleans Pelicans have finished their 2020 NBA Draft, and they did so by following their perplexing first-round with an equally perplexing second round. Like most fans, I waited through the second round hoping that the Pelicans would draft at least one high-energy role player considering the fact they had the 39th and 42nd pick when entering into the round. Instead, I was met with a pair of moves though.

When the Pelicans reached the 39th pick, they draft Syracuse’s, Elijah Hughes. Immediately after they selected him, they traded him to the Utah Jazz. Okay, so they didn’t pick a guy there, maybe they’ll take some with pick 42.

That was my thought, then the 42nd pick was announced and the Pelicans selected Nick Richards from Kentucky. In a move that felt like Deja Vu, the Pelicans for the third time in a row going back to the first round instantly traded Richards to the Charlotte Hornets.

My initial reaction to both of these moves in addition to the trade the Pelicans completed in the first round was what are the Pelicans doing? I could understand moving Hampton for an additional pick in the future because they could be a premium pick, but why move two second-rounders.

To me, both Hughes and Richards were players who I thought could come in and immediately improve the New Orleans Pelicans by giving them the complementary rotation depth they desperately needed. Hughes was a good shotmaker at Syracuse while Richards proved to be a solid defensive big at Kentucky.

But then I began thinking and using some more logic. How much were these guys really going to improve the Pelicans? Neither Hughes nor Richards will ever be star players in the NBA. So adding them to the Pelicans roster would only improve the team on the margins.

Now, we don’t quite know what the Pelicans are getting in return for these players, but they’ll certainly be getting back some assets. On their own, those assets might not seem like much, but when you add them to the ones that the organization has collected in the Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday trade, suddenly there’s a bigger picture.

The second round of the Pelicans’ 2020 NBA Draft and really their draft as a whole is setting them up to be in the perfect position to make a major move for a superstar. Think about the Pelicans now have enough young players and draft picks to flip for a major star without having to give up a core player like Brandon Ingram or Zion Williamson.

All in all, the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft was a disappointing one from an entertainment standpoint, but it might prove to be a crucial one for a long term plan that the New Orleans Pelicans might have waiting.