New Orleans Pelicans: 3 what-ifs from the 2020 NBA Draft

New Orleans Pelicans: What-ifs from the 2020 NBA Draft

What if the Pels had drafted Tyrese Maxey?

The Pelicans weren’t the only team to miss here, as Maxey fell all the way to the 21st pick, but is now considered one of he best young guards in the league.

Maxey averaged 17.5 points and 4.3 assists last season while shooting over 42 percent from 3-point range, which are numbers the Pelicans could definitely use, particularly the 3-point shooting.

Maxey has already shown the ability to play effectively alongside two superstars, as he did last season with Joel Embiid and James Harden, taking over as the de facto point guard after spending much of his rookie season playing off the ball.

Maxey needs to work on his defense, but the thought of him, Zion and Brandon Ingram developing together is pretty enticing in hindsight.

But this is another situation in which taking the right guy might have set New Orleans back in the short term, as they may not have pursued CJ McCollum last season if they already had Maxey on the roster.

Of course, the Pels might have gone after CJ anyway, and with Maxey, would have one of the most loaded rosters in the league, as he’d be a 17.5 point per game scorer coming off the bench, giving New Orleans two units that could run with just about anyone in the league.

The Pelicans definitely missed on Maxey here, but there is another guy who might have been an even better fit.