New Orleans Pelicans: 4 NCAA draft prospects to watch this season
By Nick Alvarez
An early look at 4 NCAA players who the New Orleans Pelicans could target in the 2021 NBA Draft
The New Orleans Pelicans are dug into the current NBA season, but that doesn’t mean that we have to be. My motto is that it’s never too early to look ahead!
That’s why I’ve been watching a lot of college basketball with an eye towards the 2021 NBA Draft. Casual fans might not know this, but the 2021 NBA draft is supposed to be even better than last year’s class, and some pundits think it could be a generational one.
After this past year’s draft, I wrote that the Pelicans have all the assets to make a move for a top prospect in this upcoming class. Who could that prospect be? Well, there are many options, and if Pelicans fans want to start investing some time in college hoops, here are my four top prospects to watch!
Jalen Suggs is a generational type of point guard who fits well with the program the New Orleans Pelicans are building
Jalen Suggs- Gonzaga
Gonzaga is consistently one of the best teams in college basketball, and this year, they’re led by freshman phenom, Jalen Suggs.
If you ask me, Suggs is a player that every NBA fan should have their eyes on because he is the prototype for a modern-day point guard. He’s big at 6’4″, and athletic too with the perfect combination of speed and strength needed to take the league by storm.
So far at Gonzaga, he’s putting up gaudy numbers too, averaging 15 points 6 rebounds, and 6 assists per game while shooting 55 percent from the floor and 48 percent from deep. Oh, he’s also averaging 2.6 steals a game too.
Factor in his leadership ability that has helped Gonzaga get out to a 9-0 start, and he easily looks like he’ll be the modern-day version of Chauncey Billups. That kind of guard in Stan Van Gundy’s system with the Pelicans’ other stars might make him a player the team targets if they don’t want to pay Lonzo Ball.