New Orleans Pelicans will have a competitive training camp

The New Orleans Pelicans will start training camp in just a few weeks and there will be plenty of competition.

The Pels already have a full roster, which coach Willie Green thinks is a “good problem to have” as players will have to compete and fight for minutes.

There will be plenty of competition among the guys who likely have a spot in the 10-man rotation, but there will also be battles for two-way contracts, G-League deals and spots on the fringe of the roster.

That competition took a hit when EJ Liddell went down with an injury in Summer League, but the Pelicans have since made a flurry of signings to try to fill that void.

The Pelicans have signed four players recently, two will have two-way contracts and two will likely be sentenced to G-League deals or waived before the season starts.

New Orleans Pelicans: Training camp competition

It was recently announced that Izaiah Brockington was getting a two-way contract from the Pelicans, which was a bit of a surprise considering he is coming off an injury and wasn’t really on anyone’s radar.

The guard is expected to return from a pre-draft injury and the Pels decided to take a chance on Brockington over Liddell, who is not expected to play at all this season.

The Pelicans also signed guard/wing Dereon Seabron to a two-way deal and have undisclosed deals with Daeqwon Plowden and John Petty Jr.

Petty Jr. played for the Pels’ G-League affiliate last season while Seabron and Plowden are coming off successful seasons in college.

The one thing all of these guys have in common is that they were un-drafted, something the Pelicans know something about, as they had success last season finding Jose Alvarado as an un-drafted free agent.

These guys have a chip on their shoulder and are ready to prove that other teams got it wrong by passing over them in the draft. They are going to come into training camp with something to prove, which will only heighten the competition.

They are all guys who get after it on defense, have plus athleticism and fit the mold of the type of versatile role players the Pelicans are trying to add around Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

I love these kinds of additions, as they are going to work hard and make everyone else stay on their toes in training camp. It’s possible that none of these four players will play a minute for the New Orleans Pelicans next season, but they are going to raise the overall level of competition, which is always a good thing.