We're fast approaching the end of the NBA season. At this point in the year, the New Orleans Pelicans and their followers are likely wishing they could fast forward through the end of the campaign and straight to the NBA Draft lottery.
The Pelicans weren't expected to tank this season, but a slew of injuries to their core roster presented them with the opportunity to land a high pick in a draft with a stacked class with several projected franchise cornerstones. Some analysts foresee up to five or six potential future All-Stars at the top of this draft. While it rarely plays out that way, it does speak to the sheer amount of talent coming into the league this summer.
It's never good to lose an entire season to injury, but coming away with the right prospect this offseason could legitimately set New Orleans up to be contenders for the next decade. There are several potential franchise game-changers in this draft — like Duke's Khaman Maluach — but Baylor's VJ Edgecomb would be uniquely impactful for the New Orleans Pelicans.
VJ Edgecombe would provide a level of athleticism that the Pelicans are desperately lacking
VJ Edgecombe's collegiate career likely ended in the Round of 32 when his Baylor Bears ran up against the buzzsaw that is the 2025 Duke Blue Devils. The game wasn't very close, as Duke simply overwhelmed Baylor with its roster full of future pros, but Edgecombe still looked like one of the best players on the floor even when sharing the floor with Maluach, Cooper Flagg, and Kon Knueppel.
In the end, he finished his freshman year with averages of 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.1 steals per game on 44 percent shooting from the field and 34 percent from outside the arc. If there was ever a player that couldn't be judged purely from his numbers, though, it'd be Edgecombe.
Actually watching him play, his athleticism immediately jumps off of the screen. He's landed as high as two on some analysts' big boards, so he might not participate, but if he does, his combine numbers are likely to blow some minds. Even stacked against Flagg, this year's consensus number-one pick, Edgecombe has an argument to be the better athlete pound for pound. He racked up more dunks than any major guard prospect in the country this season, showing a relentless aggression, a knack for snaking into the paint, and the springs necessary to finish at the rim with intimidating authority.
The New Orleans Pelicans might employ Zion Williamson, one of the most uniquely dominant physical forces in the history of basketball, but they're far from an athletic team overall. Aside from Trey Murphy III, who's 6'9 with perimeter agility and a near 40-inch vertical, there's no one else on the Pels who possesses any outlier physical traits, and it often shows on the court.
Even last season, with everyone mostly healthy, New Orleans clocked in at just 15.1 fast break points per game, which was good for 11th in the league. With finishing threats like Zion, TMIII, and Herb Jones and defenders like Herb, Jose Alvarado, and Dyson Daniels, that number should have been much, much higher. As a potential two-way star, Edgecombe would both help create transition opportunities and capitalize on them.
There's been a lot of talk about the Pelicans needing a real point guard to take this roster over the hump, which was a big reason why they traded for Dejounte Murray last summer. It wasn't because they didn't have enough passing, though. Between Zion, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum, they had plenty of players capable of finding the open man. The problem was that the Pelicans simply don't have enough rim pressure outside of Zion, which is an issue that's lingered.
Maybe having a healthy Dejounte alongside Zion and the new and improved Trey Murphy will be enough. But if they want to ensure that they solve that problem, grabbing VJ Edgecombe will immediately give them the athleticism and relentless slashing that they've been lacking.