Pelicans draft: Could New Orleans take a center with the 8th pick?

The New Orleans Pelicans have the rare opportunity to have a lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft even though they made the playoffs.

The Pels don’t have a glaring positional weakness, so there has been ample speculation about who they might select with the 8th pick. Most of the names attached to the Pelicans (Benedict Mathurin, Dyson Daniels, AJ Griffin) have been guards or wings, which makes some sense given the Pelicans lack of size at guard.

But there is one intriguing center prospect who is routinely mocked in the Pelicans’ range who might make some sense and could help New Orleans form an elite defense.

Pelicans draft: Jalen Duren’s strengths and weaknesses

Jalen Duren is a big, athletic center out of Memphis who averaged 12 points, eight rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in his freshman season.

There is some question of whether Duren is actually 6-foot-11 as he is listed, but he definitely has a long wingspan and profiles as a shot blocker in the NBA. He also has the quickness to switch on the perimeter, which is a key skill for a modern big.

He gets off the ground quickly for rebounds or lobs and knows how to finish when he gets the ball at the rim. He has limited offensive skill beyond setting screens and dunking, so he is not going to be stretch big or someone who gets buckets off post ups.

Duren will only be 18 at the time of the draft, so he is a raw prospect but one with a lot of upside, especially as a defender.

2022 NBA Draft: How Jalen Duren fits on the New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans already have three bigs under contract for next season in Jonas Valanciunas, Jaxson Hayes and Willy Hernangomez, so Duren doesn’t have an immediate path for minutes.

But he offers a skillset that none of the other three have, as none of the Pels’ bigs are great shot blockers, and Jaxson Hayes is still a poor rebounder, which is one of Duren’s strengths.

Duren would give the Pels another versatile and long defender off the bench who can run the floor and catch lobs, which is all he’d be asked to do. Jaxson Hayes is also entering the final year of his contract, and if the Pelicans don’t extend him, will become a restricted free agent, so his long-term future with the team is unclear at this point.

If you look at how the Celtics are winning with long, switchable defenders, it shows that a guy like Duren can have value even if he is not a great offensive player, similar to Robert Williams III.

The Pelicans already have plenty of scoring, so having players who can make an impact without needing the ball (like Herb Jones) is a must.

The New Orleans Pelicans are in a great position, as they don’t have a glaring need and can just take the best player available at any position, including center.