The 2019 NBA Draft was an important one for the New Orleans Pelicans, who not only landed Zion Williamson, but also Jaxson Hayes, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Didi Louzada.
All of these players hope to be part of the Pelicans’ rotation next season, and in the case of NAW, inserted into the starting lineup.
We recently did a re-draft of the 2019 NBA Draft, which didn’t turn out much differently for the New Orleans Pelicans except that they took NAW with the 8th pick instead of Jaxson Hayes.
NAW has shown star potential with the Pelicans at times, though he has been inconsistent on both ends at others.
There are plenty of “what-ifs” from that draft, including the question “What if the Pelicans had selected Tyler Herro?”
New Orleans Pelicans: Re-visiting the 2019 NBA Draft
Some fans took exception to my re-draft, as I had the New Orleans Pelicans selecting Nickeil Alexander-Walker with the 8th pick and not Tyler Herro.
I think you could make an argument for several guys who were still on the board in our hypothetical re-draft, and you can bet that fans of the Miami Heat would take Herro.
But which player has more potential?
I think this is debatable and the homer in me immediately said Nickeil Alexander-Walker, but an argument can also be made that Herro will ultimately be the better player.
I’m going to make a case for each, but in the end, I think the Pelicans got the right guy.