New Orleans Pelicans: 5 first round NCAA tournament games to watch

New Orleans Pelicans: Gonzaga vs. Norfolk St. or Appalachian St. (March 20)

We still don’t know who Gonzaga will face on Saturday, but New Orleans Pelicans fans shouldn’t be too concerned about that. However, it will be an interesting game no matter what given Gonzaga’s status as the top team in the country and the unlikely possibility of an upset.

Beyond that, Pels fans should focus on Corey Kispert. Jalen Suggs is the Gonzaga player that has gotten the most hype and will likely be a top five pick, but the Pels aren’t looking at those selections right now. Instead, Kispert is a shooter that New Orleans should be keeping tabs if they get a top ten pick.

Kispert is having an extremely productive senior season. He has consolidated himself as one of the top shooters in the country, making 44 percent of his threes, 65 percent of his two-pointers, and 90 percent of his free throws. Those are just incredible numbers.

Kispert is not as flashy or young as other prospects, but he could be ready to contribute right off the bat in the NBA. He can shoot the ball in all different types of ways, be it spotting up or on the move. His upside is limited to an extent, but he is a great fit for the Pelicans, especially since they are in need of more floor-spacers.

New Orleans Pelicans: LSU vs. St. Bonaventure (March 20)

Lastly, New Orleans Pelicans fans should take a look at LSU’s Cameron Thomas in the NCAA tournament’s first round.

Thomas is a sniper that can get you buckets at any given moment. He is putting up historic numbers at LSU, scoring 23 points per game and being their go-to guy as a freshman. At one point, he was mentioned along the likes of Kevin Durant and Michael Beasley in terms of scoring prowess at the college level.

The question marks surrounding Thomas pertain to his efficiency and individuality of his play. Thomas is only shooting 41 percent from the field and will probably be perceived by some as an inefficient shot chucker given the volume of field goals he takes. On top of that, he doesn’t really create for others and turns over the ball more than he assists.

Still, Thomas can score in bunches. Put him on the Pels right now and he probably becomes a sparkplug off the bench. Thomas going in the top ten is a stretch, in my opinion, but he won’t fall to the second round either.

Still, I wanted to include him because of the possibility I mentioned earlier about the Pels packaging two or three of their second-round picks to move up in the draft. If New Orleans gets into the 15-30 places, the consensus on players there is all over the place and they would have a good chance of snatching Thomas and him dynamiting the Pels’ second units next season.