5 Former Pelicans the team will definitely miss this season

4. Christian Wood

You are probably scratching your head right now. When did Christian Wood play for the Pelicans? 

In 2018-19, Wood played eight games and made two starts for the Pelicans. During that time, he averaged 16.9 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 1.3 BPG in 23.6 minutes per contest. Back then, Wood seemed like someone who was destined to live on the fringes of NBA rosters for his entire career. But since then, he’s transformed himself into one of the best offensive bigs in the league.

Most importantly, Wood has a skill this Pelicans team desperately needs: shooting. In the last three years, Wood has converted on 40% of wide-open 3-point attempts (58th percentile, per thinkingbasketball.net).

As a team that finished last year 23rd in 3-pointers made (11.0) and 29th in 3-point attempts (30.1), the Pelicans could really use some extra shooting, especially from a position you don’t normally expect much of it from.

5. Kenrich Williams 

Before he earned the nickname “Kenny Hustle” and won over the hearts of countless Oklahoma City Thunder fans, Kenrich Williams spent his first two seasons (2018-20) with the Pelicans.

Williams combines the contributions Hart/Richardson could bring to the table with what Wood offers. Like Wood, Williams can serve as a spacer/shooter on offense. He spent last season hitting 37.3% of his 2.5 3-point attempts per game.

And like Hart and Richardson, Williams is a two-way wing/forward who could have stepped up in the absence of Murphy. Last season, the Thunder played smaller vertical lineups that prioritized horizontal size and switchability. The reason they could do this is because they had versatile pieces like Williams. His versatility would be nice to have on the Pelicans this upcoming year.