Every year a top talent falls in the NBA Draft and the New Orleans Pelicans are hoping that holds true this year as well.
The Pelicans have the 10th pick in the draft along with four picks in the second round, so they have plenty of options when it comes to trying to makes trades, adding some international talent to draft-and-stash or just taking a bunch of players and seeing if one of them sticks.
There has been a consensus top five in this NBA Draft for most of the season as Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, Evan Mobley, Jalen Suggs and Jonathan Kuminga are thought to be a tier above the rest of the class.
Out of that group, Kuminga is the guy who has most been flying under the radar and could be the top-five talent that drops in this year’s draft.
Could the New Orleans Pelicans get lucky with the 10th pick?
New Orleans Pelicans draft picks: NBA Draft prospect Jonathan Kuminga is the most likely to fall
Out of the five guys I mentioned, Kuminga is the most likely to dip in the NBA Draft for a number of reasons.
The first is that he is a much less refined prospect than the other four at just 18-years-old. Kuminga is not a guy who is expected to come in and make an impact right away, even though he already has a season of G-League experience under his belt.
Kuminga’s outside shot still needs a lot of work, as he shot just 24 percent from long range this season. However, he still has the skill set and size to be just what the Pelicans need.
But is there any way he falls to the 10th pick?