The New Orleans Pelicans currently have six players under the age of 25, including rising superstars Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
Analysts always use 25 as a marker because most players give a pretty good indication of what they are going to be by that age. Players can and do get better of course, but most have shown their best and worst-case scenarios.
Take Josh Hart, who is 25-years-old right now. Hart will likely get better, but he’s more or less what he is going to be, a solid wing defender who can knock down shots and be an important role player on a good team.
The six Pelicans we are going to look at have barely scratched the surface of their collective talent, so it is a bit harder to predict, though the two cornerstones look like locks to be All-Stars for many years.
Let’s take a look at the six players under-25 on the New Orleans Pelicans, and what their ceiling and floor can be.
New Orleans Pelicans: Ceiling and floor for Jaxson Hayes
Ceiling: Top-5 shot-blocker and rebounder in the NBA
Floor: Fringe rotation player
Jaxson Hayes probably has as much boom-or-bust potential of any of the young Pelicans.
He has tantalizing athleticism and has played well at times this year. The other times? Hayes is still lost on defense, has absolutely zero offensive game outside of putbacks and lobs and looks like a guy who needs about five more years of learning how to play basketball.
He is only 20 and not making that much, so the Pelicans can be patient as he slowly gets better. If Hayes focuses his efforts on defense and rebounding, he should be able to carve out a role for himself, especially if he can do those things at a high level.
He could end up being a late-bloomer who leads the league in blocks when he is 30, like Hassan Whiteside.
New Orleans Pelicans: Ceiling and floor for Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Ceiling: Sixth man of the year candidate
Floor: Fringe role player
Nickeil Alexander-Walker is another player who is hard to gauge. Occasionally, he looks like a real talent and at other times a guy who turns the ball over too much takes bad shots and doesn’t really have a position.
I am probably not as high on NAW as others, mostly because he takes incredibly difficult shots to get his points, so when he is hitting them he looks great and when he isn’t he looks terrible.
He is very streaky and could end up being a Lou Williams type who gets points in bunches off the bench.
If he doesn’t get more efficient offensively, his ceiling is a fringe role player who bounces around the league but he’s only 22, so it’s still early.
New Orleans Pelicans: Ceiling and floor for Brandon Ingram
Ceiling: Perennial All-Star, multiple time scoring champion, Top-5 MVP candidate
Floor: Multiple time All-Star
Brandon Ingram has already proven himself to be a star in this league, so his floor is closer to the roof than most.
Ingram is going to be a multiple-time All-Star in the NBA, that much is clear, but considering he is only 23-years-old, we are not even sure how good he can be.
Ingram is playing at an All-NBA level this year and looks like a guy who will win a scoring title sometime in the near future.
The only thing keeping Brandon Ingram from being an MVP candidate someday is his defense, otherwise, he doesn’t have a ceiling.
New Orleans Pelicans: Ceiling and floor for Lonzo Ball
Ceiling: Top-5 point guard in the NBA, multiple All-Star appearances
Floor: You’re probably seeing it
Lonzo Ball has put together two very good games but has otherwise been inconsistent this season.
His game against the Bucks showed what he can be when he is being aggressive and running the offense. He has also flashed elite defense at times, so Lonzo has the talent to be an All-Star someday and to eventually be one of the league’s best point guards.
Fans have complained about how he is being used but for great players, it shouldn’t matter. Is there any role in which Zion Williamson would not thrive? How about Brandon Ingram?
Lonzo needs to consistently be the Pels’ third-best player and be comfortable with that designation, otherwise, he may reach his potential on another team.
His ceiling is a player like Jason Kidd but it’s on Lonzo to get himself there.
New Orleans Pelicans: Ceiling and floor for Kira Lewis Jr.
Ceiling: 20+ PPG scorer, top-5 in assists
Floor: Change-of-pace backup point guard
Kira Lewis Jr. is the youngest member of the New Orleans Pelicans and the one we know the least about.
He has played little this season but did make the most of his minutes, flashing elite speed, a nice-looking shot and the ability to set up his teammates and himself off dribble penetration.
I like what I’ve seen so far and he adds an element that the Pels don’t always have, which is a guy who can penetrate off the bounce. At the very least, he will be an Ish Smith type who has a long career as a change-of-pace backup point guard who can get buckets in bunches.
At most he is more like Allen Iverson, a guy who has the quickness to get anywhere he wants for his own shot or to collapse defenses and set up his teammates.
New Orleans Pelicans: Ceiling and floor for Zion Williamson
Ceiling: Generational superstar
Floor: Multiple All-Star appearances
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that Zion Williamson could be the best player of his generation and has the talent to be an All-Time great.
He is only 20, yet is the focal point of every opponent’s gameplan and nearly unstoppable in the paint. In fact, he is one of the most efficient interior players to ever play the game through his first 40 games and he is still learning the nuances of basketball.
People love to nit-pick about defense or shooting with Zion Williamson but seem to forget that he still hasn’t played half an NBA season and those are things that will come with time, as they have for nearly every great player.
The New Orleans Pelicans have foundational talent in Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram but their other young players can still be categorized as “wait-and-see.”
The Pels have enviable young talent that should make them contenders for years to come.