NBA Draft: Scottie Barnes could be the Pelicans’ Draymond Green
The New Orleans Pelicans will have five picks in the 2021 NBA Draft and have a lot of options.
They are unlikely to use them all, so it’s possible they could package their first round pick to try and get a guy like Malcolm Brogdon.
They could just keep the first-round pick and take the best player available.
They also have four second-round picks, which they could use to try and move up and take another player in the late first round.
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The New Orleans Pelicans are sitting on a ton of draft assets and are entering a crucial offseason, so David Griffin and company need to get it right and do a much better job of building a team around Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
If they do keep the first-round pick, there are a number of really good prospects depending on where they need up choosing in the draft.
What are the Pelicans’ lottery odds?
The New Orleans Pelicans are tied for 8th with the Kings and Bulls, which will be decided by a tiebreaker.
Currently the Pelicans have a 20.3 percent chance at a top-four pick and a 4.5 percent chance at the first overall pick.
But if they stay at or near their current draft position, they will be choosing 8-10, and while there might not be a certain superstar in that range, there are still a number of really good prospects that could help the Pelicans next season.
The Pels need defenders, preferably ones who can cover multiple spots. They also need 3-point shooting and may be able to get some with one of their four picks in the second round.
Scottie Barnes is not a shooter, but he projects to be one of the more versatile defenders in this draft, a guy who often draws comparisons to Draymond Green, which is just the type of guy the Pelicans need.