The New Orleans Pelicans came up short against the Orlando Magic last night, and I’m not taking much stock in this loss, as the Pelicans were playing their third-stringers in the second half. What I am taking stock of is what I saw from rookie big man Hunter Dickinson.
This was the first game since the news broke that Kevon Looney would be missing some time to start the regular season with a knee injury. Looney’s injury has weakened what was already one of New Orleans' biggest weaknesses, which is their depth at the center spot.
With the opportunity there for Dickinson to show he can be in the rotation, he flopped.
Since the Pelicans signed the multiple-year college big following the 2025 NBA Draft, I’ve expressed how I felt he was a waste of one of their three two-way contracts. I just feel when Dickinson is on the floor for New Orleans, they are at a disadvantage. He’s someone who can be exploited by opposing teams easily. He isn’t athletic enough to do anything on defense aside from play drop coverage, which, unless you are an elite shot blocker (which he isn’t), it’s almost impossible to be effective in drop.
Dickinson is perfect for boxscore watchers, but not for winning games
His counting stats were great, finishing the game with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 23 minutes. These numbers at face value may make you believe the Pelicans found their guy to hold it down off the bench while Looney’s out, but I promise the numbers are lying.
In the first quarter, Dickinson was getting fried defensively. He was just floating around, looking lost, and the Magic's bigs, Jonathan Isaac and Wendell Carter Jr., took advantage of it, getting easy baskets in the paint.
In the first quarter, when he was guarding Carter Jr., it was a perfect example of why he can’t be part of this team rotation. Even though Carter Jr. isn’t some knockdown sniper from beyond the arc, his career 31.4 three-point percent makes him someone that opposing defenses have to respect. This meant Dickinson had to stay near the perimeter, and Orlando realized this and kept leaving Dickinson lost in no man's land by forcing him to commit to the perimeter or drop to the paint.
The rest of the game followed the same pattern, with Orlando adjusting their offense whenever Dickinson was on the court and finding different ways to expose him. This is something that won’t change when the regular season starts and is exactly why he can’t be an everyday part of this team's rotation.
With Kevon Looney set to be reevaluated in 2-3 weeks, the Pelicans must realize that despite having three other centers on the roster, they only have two that they can play. It may be time to make a small trade, to sign a free agent, or even experiment with Zion Williamson at the five.