Where the ESPN top-100 got it wrong for the New Orleans Pelicans

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Russell Westbrook #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts as he attempts to layup against CJ McCollum #3 of the New Orleans Pelicans and Jonas Valanciunas #17 of the New Orleans Pelicans (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images) /

New Orleans Pelicans: Where the ESPN top-100 got it wrong

Jonas Valanciunas- 84

Valanciunas was ranked 84th on the list after one of his best seasons in the NBA and great run in international play.

There are obviously some questions about how his minutes and role will be affected when Zion Williamson comes back, but Valanciunas has been one of the most reliable centers in the league in his career.

Because of that consistency, I would have put him ahead of Aaron Gordon (83), Caris LeVert (80), Clint Capela (79), Lonzo Ball (78) and Spencer Dinwiddie (69).

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CJ McCollum- 45

I don’t think McCollum’s 45th-place ranking is too far off at this stage in his career, though he dropped 15 spots from last season, which seems odd considering how good he was last year.

He was bumped in favor of a trio of high-ceiling young players in Scottie Barnes (39), Evan Mobley (36) and Cade Cunningham (35), but I would also probably put McCollum ahead of veteran Marcus Smart (34) as well.

McCollum has been one of the most consistent scorers in the NBA over the last seven seasons, but his accomplishments clearly didn’t mean as much as the potential of recent draft picks. I think this also shows how good that 2021 draft class really is.

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