The New Orleans Pelicans are now 0-2 in Summer League play after a 94-81 loss to the Lakers. Despite both Pelicans rookies Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears shooting a combined 9 for 33, their shooting struggles weren't the biggest takeaway from this game. That would go to Antonio Reeves, who once again showed he deserves a spot on the Pelicans roster.
Reeves finished with 20 points, six rebounds, and three steals on 6-for-13 shooting. Reeves was waived by New Orleans, less than 2 weeks ago, and used today to make his case to the rest of the NBA on why Joe Dumars made a colossal mistake. Reeves carried the offensive load Friday night as the Pelicans shot just 33.8% from the field as a team.
The 24-year-old guard matched up with Bronny James most of the night and won that battle. James only scored 14 points and went 1-for-5 from three. Reeves continues to prove that he has some real potential as a two-way player in this league, doing an incredible job guarding Bronny last night.
Reeves Continues to Outshine Dumars’ Picks
Since Joe Dumars came in this offseason, he had no prior attachment to Reeves, making waiving him that much easier to do. But now, after seeing Reeves outplay both Fears and Queen through the first two Summer League games, Dumars may already be regretting it.
While Queen and Fears are still adjusting to the speed and physicality of the pro game, Reeves continues to show the same promise he flashed at the end of last season. Over the final seven games of the 2024–25 campaign, he averaged 16.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in more than 30 minutes per game—making it nearly impossible to ignore him now.
With New Orleans looking to compete this season, Reeves would have been a great piece to have coming off the bench. Especially now, with Fears and Queen both looking far from NBA-ready. Reeves has length, shooting defense, and swagger that the Pelicans' main roster would've been blessed to have off the bench next season.
If Reeves keeps performing like this, it won’t be long before another team gives him a real shot, or the Pelicans admit their mistake and bring him back on board. The latter is more likely than the former, but I really think letting Reeves go for nothing was an awful decision by Dumars, and it only gets worse as the summer league progresses.