The New Orleans Pelicans need bench depth and may eventually find some on their G-League affiliate the Erie BayHawks.
The Pels only have one player currently under contract on the BayHawks, but they could offer a deal to other players if they think they could make an impact.
The Erie BayHawks will play today at 3PM ET and there will be some intriguing talent on display.
The G-League is generally for basketball junkies like myself, but there are a few guys who could help the Pels down the road and deserve a look.
Here are three players to monitor in the G-League bubble.
New Orleans Pelicans: Tony Carr is a playmaker
Tony Carr is a G/F who has played well of late for the Erie Bayhawks. He has been one of the team’s top assist-men with an average of 5.3 per game for the season.
He has decent size at 6-foot-5 and can play a couple of spots. He is currently not on a two-way deal and could be a call-up for the Pelicans if they were to suffer an injury or make a trade.
New Orleans Pelicans: Will Magnay deserves a shot
I wrote that Will Magnay has played well for the Erie BayHawks thus far and may deserve a look with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Magnay is averaging 14 points, 5.3 rebounds and an impressive 1.3 blocks per game, which is something the Pels could definitely use.
The Pels might be better off sending Nicolo Melli to the BayHawks in exchange for Magnay, who at least has some skills the Pels need.
If he could offer some rim protection off the bench and stretch the floor a bit, he might be worth a look and is definitely worth monitoring.
New Orleans Pelicans: Jordan Bell is filling the stat sheet
Of all the players on the Eric BayHawks, Jordan Bell is most likely to get a shot with an NBA team.
I’m actually shocked that he didn’t get a two-way contract in the offseason but may have felt playing his way back into the league was the way to go.
Bell is a guy I thought might have helped the Pelicans last season and I still do, as he can play multiple spots and if nothing else, plays hard on defense.
Bell is averaging 18.8 points, 10 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and a steal per game for the BayHawks, numbers that will eventually get him a contract from someone.
He’s worth keeping an eye on, as the Pels lack defenders and to be honest, I’d rather see him coming off the bench than J.J. Redick at this point.
The G-League is getting better every season, with more and more teams using it as a developing ground for young players.
Will the New Orleans Pelicans call someone up eventually? There is no way of knowing, but it is worth keeping one eye on the G-League.