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The New Orleans Pelicans are hoping luck changes with 13th picks

By Aaron Kellerstrass

Julian Wright #32 of the New Orleans Hornets reacts during a preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on October 23, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)
Julian Wright #32 of the New Orleans Hornets reacts during a preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on October 23, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images) /
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The New Orleans Pelicans are hoping to get Kira Lewis Jr. back after he missed most of last season with an ACL injury.

Lewis Jr. averaged 6.4 points and 2.3 assists per game in his rookie season after being drafted 13th by the Pelicans in the 2020 NBA Draft.

The Pelicans don’t have a rich draft history, but what they do have has been pretty good, as they have drafted stars like David West, Anthony Davis, Chris Paul, Zion Williamson and Herbert Jones.

Kira Lewis Jr. still has plenty to prove and not much time to do it, as the Pelicans will soon have to decide if they want to pick up his team option for the 2023-24 season.

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Lewis Jr. was the second time in team history that the New Orleans Pelicans have chosen 13th overall in a draft, and he is hoping that things turn out better for him than they did the last time the Pels had that pick.

New Orleans Pelicans: The 13th pick bust

The last time the Pels had the 13th pick was in the 2007 NBA Draft, way back when they were still the Hornets.

They chose Julian Wright, a 6-foot-8 forward out of Kansas who was just coming off a successful sophomore season when he was one of the best rebounding wings in the country. Wright was a highly rated two-way wing and New Orleans thought they might have had a steal.

But it never translated to the NBA, as Wright never averaged more than 4.4 points per game for the Pelicans and never materialized into the two-way threat they thought he’d be.

He ended up getting traded to the Raptors after three seasons in exchange for Marco Belinelli, a guy who went five spots after him in the same draft. A year later, Wright was out of the league completely, playing just four seasons in the NBA before finishing his career overseas.

Current 13th pick Kira Lewis Jr. faces a similar uphill battle, as he’s on a team with a loaded roster that already has several guards ahead of him on the depth chart. He’ll have to beat out either Jose Alvarado or Devonte’ Graham for minutes and could end up the odd man out of the rotation, especially if he is not 100 percent healthy to start the season.

If Lewis Jr. can’t crack the rotation, it’s possible he’ll end up like Wright, traded after three seasons with the team.

Lewis Jr. obviously still has time to turn things around, as he is still very young and has shown flashes, but the clock is ticking on another 13th pick for New Orleans.

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