New Orleans Pelicans: 2021 NBA Mock Draft 1.0

New Orleans Pelicans: With the 10th pick…

At number ten, Moses Moody is both a realistic and ideal option for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Recency bias dictates that fans will likely have Moody’s sleepy NCAA tournament performance in mind, but that should not eclipse his tremendous freshman season.

An important caveat to remember is that Moody came into college as a four-star prospect, likely because he played on a high school team that is surely among the best ever.

Moody quickly impressed at Arkansas and I think his game should translate to the NBA without too much trouble. The 6-foot-6 wing doesn’t have a tremendously high ceiling, but his floor is both very safe, still relatively high, and fits the modern NBA to a tee.

If Moody’s development stagnates, which appears unlikely, then the Pelicans would get a wing that is a multipositional defender with a translatable three-point shot (36 percent on five attempts per game while shooting 81 percent from the foul line) and great rebounding instincts.

However, Moody has also shown glimpses of being able to create his own midrange and, very importantly, he is great at getting to the free throw line. Even when his outside shot isn’t falling, Moody is still productive at the charity stripe, as seen during the NCAA tournament.

If you want a player comparison, think of an upgraded Josh Hart with better percentages from three, a more robust frame, and the same switchability on defense but at just 18-years-old. The Arkansas wing also isn’t overly assertive, which is a good thing since he profiles as more of a role player than a star.

Still, Moody has some improvement areas. Even though he is good at getting to the charity stripe, he still needs to become more comfortable playing through contact. Developing an in-between game with a short jumper or floater would help as he gets adjusted to the physicality of the NBA. I would also like to see him grow as a shooter on the move since a lot of the threes he makes are spotting up or catching-and-shooting.

In terms of playmaking, he can make the right reads but needs to iron out his execution. Moody had one more turnover than assist during his freshman season. He only had six games (out of 32) without turning the ball over at least once.

The New Orleans Pelicans already have two appealing wing prospects in Naji Marshall and Didi Louzada; however, that should not dissuade New Orleans’ decision-makers. I feel comfortable saying right now that Moody’s potential exceeds that of Marshall and Louzada’s.

And even if the Pels would then go from barely having wings to having quite a few (particularly if Hart stays in the off-season), you can’t go wrong with accumulating those types of players and seeing which ones truly work.