New Orleans Pelicans: Ike Anigbogu is another bargain signing with upside

The New Orleans Pelicans continue to bargain shop for contributors by signing Ike Anigbogu to an undisclosed contract

Before the New Orleans Pelicans held introductory press conferences for their high profile additions of Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe, the team made one more under-the-radar move. That move, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported, was signing 22-year old big man Ike Anigbogu to an undisclosed contract.

At first glance, I thought this signing was mediocre. Another small signing of a player who’s yet to make a legitimate impact on an NBA roster. However, when I thought about it more, I realized that this move is apart of the organization’s plan.

You see, while the NBA does operate with a salary cap, most teams have a budget set by ownership outside of the cap. Since Griffin already acquired two high-priced players in Adams and Bledsoe, it’s unlikely that the franchise will let him spend much more. That’s left Griffin to get creative and sign young and unproven players with upside like Wenyen Gabriel. A trend he’s continuing with Ike Anigbogu.

Why Ike Anigbogu could be a contributor for the New Orleans Pelicans in 2021

Though Anigbogu seems like a marginal NBA player after being drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the second-round back in 2017 and spending most of his career in the G-League, he has a lot of potential that’s still yet to be unlocked.

Just look back at what scouts said about him before the draft. They said that Anigbogu was an undersized center at 6’9″, but his massive 7’6″ wingspan allowed him to be a legit interior threat in the league. A strong rim-protector, and versatile defender, those same scouts even compared Anigbogu to Tristian Thompson. No wonder David Griffin has an eye for him!

In all seriousness though, people even considered Ike Anigbogu to be a first-round talent in the 2017 draft, but an injury to his right knee during his lone season at UCLA caused him to slide into the second round. Since then, he’s been relegated to the G-League to rehab his injury and because the Pacers’ crowded frontcourt had no use for him.

With the New Orleans Pelicans, Anigbogu is getting the chance to come into training camp and work with a strong development staff under Stan Van Gundy to compete for a rotation spot. This means he’ll actually get the opportunity to play consistently, something he wasn’t able to do in Indiana as a developmental prospect.

If it works out, Anigbogu could turn into a home-run signing for David Griffin. He’d be reunited with college teammate Lonzo Ball, and allowed to play a niche role as a secondary defensive big man behind Zion Williamson and Steven Adams. That’ll certainly help Stan Van Gundy build his patented “wall” on the defensive end of the floor, as he tries to revamp the Pelicans interior defense.

Of course, there’s still a lot of question marks about this player, and the signing might not work out for the New Orleans Pelicans. That doesn’t mean that we can’t look at the positives and see that while David Griffin doesn’t have a lot of money to work with, he and his staff are still committed to trying to find diamonds in the rough to make this team a playoff threat in 2021. That should make all fans happy.