New Orleans Pelicans: Where the Pels youngsters stand into the all-star break

New Orleans Pelicans: What’s in store for Naji Marshall and Will Magnay?

Naji Marshall and Will Magnay are both effectively Erie BayHawks players right now, but could still play a role with the New Orleans Pelicans in the months to come. They are still on two-way contracts with the Pels.

The BayHawks are currently As of publication time, the BayHawks are second in the G League with an 11-4 record. No matter what, they are in the G League playoffs, so it will be fun to watch Marshall and Magnay compete in that type of environment if they aren’t called up by the Pels prior to that.

A call-up could still happen. For instance, the Oklahoma City Thunder recalled their rookie Aleksej Pokusevski from their development team despite being on the edge of a playoff spot. The Chicago Bulls also recalled Devon Dotson from the G League Bubble recently, while the G League Ignite had their big man Donta Hall signed to a 10-day contract by the Toronto Raptors in the middle of the regular season.

Magnay and Marshall have both impressed in the Lake Buena Vista bubble.

Marshall is averaging roughly 16 points per game and over one steal. He has the makings to be a 3-and-D type of wing in the NBA, although his shot is definitely the biggest question. He’s shooting 35 percent from deep in the G League, which isn’t too bad. Marshall went undrafted out of Xavier and actually played eight minutes for the Pelicans earlier this season before the G League got underway.

Meanwhile, Magnay is a 6-foot-10 Australian big man who has the potential to block shots and stretch the floor. He has missed some G League games, but he is scoring about nine points per night while dishing out a couple of assists and getting five rebounds.

Magnay’s numbers are not as impressive as Marshall’s, but he might have a higher ceiling. I can envision him having a role for the Pelicans, especially given the dire frontcourt situation. Many Pels fans probably would’ve preferred Magnay getting a chance over the often criticized Nicolò Melli, for instance.

This G League season will officially end on March 11. The eight teams that qualify for the playoffs will play single-elimination games until a champion is decided. Let’s see what happens with Marshall and Magnay then.