Pelicans draft: Could Shaedon Sharpe fall to New Orleans?

The New Orleans Pelicans have the 8th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and hope to walk away with an impact player.

The 8th pick hasn’t yielded too many stars, but that doesn’t mean the Pels won’t get one, especially if things bounce the right way.

That’s exactly what happened in a recent mock draft by draft guru Jonathan Givony, who thinks one of the highest upside talents in the entire draft might fall to the Pelicans.

He had Kentucky guard Shaedon Sharpe going to the Pelicans, which is one of the few times I have seen him projected to drop out of the top five or six guys.

Here’s how it happened:

• #1: Jabari Smith
• #2: Chet Holmgren
• #3: Paolo Banchero
• #4: Jaden Ivey
• #5: Keegan Murray
• #6: Bennedict Mathurin
• #7: Dyson Daniels
• #8: Shaedon Sharpe

This doesn’t seem that far-fetched, as both Mathurin and Daniels have raised their stock through strong combines and workouts.

Sharpe might be the best case scenario for the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2022 NBA Draft.

Pelicans draft: Shaedon Sharpe is the perfect fit

As the only team in the lottery that made the playoffs this season, the New Orleans Pelicans are in a unique position.

They have their entire starting five returning, a solid bench and don’t have a glaring positional need.

New Orleans can just take the best player available without the pressure of that player needing to make an impact right away.

Sharpe just turned 19-years-old and hasn’t played since high school. Though he has the high-upside talent, it’s not likely that he comes in and plays well (or at all) right away after sitting out the entire season at Kentucky.

The Pelicans would have the advantage of not needing him, so they could bring Sharpe along at his own pace and slowly work him into the rotation.

This pick would potentially pay off big in the future, as Sharpe has the size, athleticism, shooting ability and length to be a star on both ends.

Adding the 8th pick to a team that already has a roster with talent like Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Zion Williamson, Herbert Jones and Jonas Valanciunas is a luxury that most franchises don’t have, so the Pels can swing for the fences here if Sharpe fall into the lap.