The second the 2024-25 season ended, I was waiting and waiting for what year 2 Yves Missi was going to look like. Since the Pelicans dealt with so many injuries and problems last season, the Pelicans' rookie big man got a ton of burn and was one of the team's best players.
Missi appeared in 73 games last season and averaged 9.1 points per game, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 26.8 minutes of action. These impressive averages from a mid-first round pick helped Missi earn All-Rookie second team honors and set expectations high heading into his second season.
Prior to Summer League, many fans were hyped to see him dominate, as on top of his growing skillset, he had also added some more muscle to help him be even more of a force in the paint. However, his time in Vegas didn't go as planned. Missi struggled immensely on the offensive end, shooting below 30% from the field, and looked out of his place, especially when sharing the floor with lottery pick Derik Queen.
This poor play gave fans even more of a reason to believe that Missi wasn't part of Joe Dumars' long-term plans with this team.
The writing is on the wall
As I've mentioned before, when a new front office comes in and takes over a team, they don't have the same attachment to players that the previous regime had. That's why Dumars was so comfortable drafting Derik Queen and signing Kevon Looney because he didn't draft Missi in 2024 and had no loyalty to him.
Although last season it looked like Missi may be the long-term guy alongside Zion Williamson, the NBA moves extremely fast, and things can change in an instant.
The way I see it is that Looney was brought in to be the starter for the next couple of seasons until Queen is ready to take over as the full-time five. This plan leaves no room for Missi, and unless this group suffers any major injuries, I think he could be gone by the deadline.
The only guys that I think have clearly got the stamp of approval long term from Joe are Zion Williamson, Herb Jones, who just got extended, Queen, Jeremiah Fears, and maybe Trey Murphy.
This lack of attachment isn't a bad thing, but instead exactly what the previous front office was missing. The reason the Pelicans have sat in the murky middle between contending and the lottery for the last 6 years is because the previous front office was afraid of change.