After what many viewed as a disaster draft, things only worsened for the Pelicans after signing Hunter Dickinson to a two-way contract as an undrafted free agent. After drafting a bad defender in Jeremiah Fears at No. 7, New Orleans doubled down on shying away from defense by drafting Derik Queen at No. 13. They followed those baffling picks by selecting Micah Peavy, who, despite being an elite defender, was a significant reach at No. 40.
Despite drafting three players and signing Hunter Dickinson, the Pelicans still failed to address their most glaring need: rim protection and a real shot-blocking threat. Dickinson, despite being 7'1", offers little shot-blocking and defensive presence, meaning that using a two-way contract on him is yet another mismanagement of opportunities by Joe Dumars.
Dickinson is a beast on the inside offensively and was one of college basketball's best scorers and rebounders, posting averages of 17.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game last season. However, he isn't an NBA-level athlete at this point, especially defensively, as he often gets exposed against more polished scoring big men.
This signing is a band-aid for a broken bone
Dickinson isn't the end-all be-all, as the Pelicans signing someone to a two-way deal shouldn't ruin your outlook on next season. However, at the same time, he shouldn't be someone Pelicans fans should get excited about. Dickinson is going to be a 24-year-old rookie and really relied on his age and size to dominate at the college level, which are two things unlikely to benefit him at the NBA level.
As a whole, Dickinson always struggled as a defender. Sure, he can use his size to block shots, but outside of that, he is a total negative defensively. He has slow foot speed, which often leads to him getting blown by. His ability to read the game on the defensive side is also limited, leading to him being dominated by players with a higher IQ.
The only time Dickinson ever shows positive signs defensively is when he plays extreme drop coverage, which is something that will likely be exposed in the NBA, as teams at this level can space the floor much better than they can in college.
Signing Dickinson seemed like a way for Joe Dumars to show the Pelicans he was still planning on adding size and rim protection. However, after looking at Dickinson as more than just a seven-footer, it's very obvious he still doesn't help address the need for a shot-blocking rim protector, as that still remains an unfilled hole for the Pelicans.