The New Orleans Pelicans aren't where they wanted to be. Instead of competing in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs, they're all on their respective couches watching the games like the rest of us. Ideally, they should be training, conditioning, recovering, and fine-tuning their skills, but studying film is also an important part of improving, and there's a lot to be learned from these highly competitive games.
While it's key for players to watch their contemporaries and emulate the traits that they should add to their bags, it's even more important for the front office to be keeping a close eye on these playoffs to ensure that their roster is up to standard or to help them identify the steps they need to take to catch up if they're not quite there. After going 21-61, it would seem that the Pelicans have a LOT of work to do, but, in reality, they could be a move or two away from serious contendership.
This past season might not have gone the way they wanted, due to a rash of injuries to their core in the early year, but there's no denying that the Pelicans are loaded with talent, especially after Trey Murphy III's emergence into stardom. Something else they did this year was identify at least one of their centers of the future: Yves Missi. The former Baylor Bear had a very encouraging rookie season, and the Los Angeles Lakers series against the Minnesota Timberwolves has only highlighted how important his presence will be moving forward.
Good news for Yves Missi: the run-and-jump center has never been more important
After making an Earth-shattering midseason trade, swapping Anthony Davis and spare parts for last year's Western Conference Finals MVP Luka Doncic, the Los Angeles Lakers went on a 20-13 run to secure the sixth-seed in the West. Despite their roster being built around LeBron James and AD instead of LeBron and Luka, the Lakers appeared to be at least dark-horse contenders with their new superstar duo of jumbo playmakers.
Now, though, they find themselves in a 1-3 hole against the third-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves. While there have been multiple contributing factors to the way the series has gone so far, the most glaring issue for the Lakers has clearly been their stark lack of a reliable center.
After they traded away Anthony Davis, LA was left with just Jaxson Hayes and Alex Len as the only centers left on the roster. They tried to add Mark Williams before the deadline, but the deal with the Charlotte Hornets fell through for medical reasons. Now, the fallout from that failed trade is costing them big time.
Luka Doncic showed last season how lethal he could be playing next to Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, two traditional centers who offer little outside of athleticism, size, and shot blocking. However, those two giants cleaned up a lot of defensive mistakes for the Dallas Mavericks throughout their trip to the 2024 NBA Finals. On the other end of the court, they set tough screens, rolled hard to the rim, and finished the easy opportunities that Doncic generated for them. Jaxson Hayes was a huge beneficiary of that in the regular season, having averaged eight points per game on nearly 77 percent shooting when playing alongside Luka, but his defensive deficiencies have made him borderline unplayable in the playoffs, and the Lakers have suffered because of it.
In his rookie season, Yves Missi already showed defensive instincts miles beyond what Hayes, a former Pelican, has shown throughout his career. If he can continue to grow on that end of the court into a full-time defensive anchor, he'll make a ton of money in this league. Even if he doesn't make any meaningful improvements as an offensive player, his athleticism and size alone will keep him a viable threat as a rim-roller and finisher.
A decade or so ago, these run-and-jump centers seemingly came a dime a dozen. Suddenly, the supply has drastically dwindled while the demand has skyrocketed. That's good news for Missi, who should play a decade in this league if he stays healthy. It's also good news for the Pelicans who have at least found half of their center rotation for the future.