Pelicans draft: Possible 1st and 2nd round pick in Tennessee vs. OSU
Possible Pelicans draft picks: Yves Pons
Yves Pons is a 6-foot-6 small forward from France who would probably have to have a brilliant tournament to put himself in the running as a second round pick for the New Orleans Pelicans.
He does have a skillset that the Pels covet, as he has the size to play both forward positions and is known more as a defensive specialist who can rebound.
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These are things that the Pelicans need, so it is not out of the question that they would reach for Pons in the second round even though he is a senior who will be 22 at the time of the draft.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing for a team that has a lot of youth already, as the Pels already have several project players and could use one of their second-round picks on an upperclassman who has a lower ceiling but will come into the NBA ready to play.
Pons has the defensive chops to get chosen in the second round but is currently being projected to go more towards the end of it, so might be well out of the Pels’ range.
He will probably end up getting a look from someone, as he can bring defensive energy off the bench though he is not much of a shooter.
He is a long shot for the Pelicans, even in the second round but a good tournament could boost his profile.