NBA roster building is a fickle game. From an outside perspective, carefully constructing a basketball team might seem like a dream job. Anyone who loves the sport has almost certainly believed at some point that they could do better than their favorite team's general manager, or, at the least, has felt they had better insight on one particular move.
This is especially true of struggling franchises. When an organization repeatedly comes up short and doesn't show consistent signs of improvement, the fanbase will naturally turn on the main architect of the roster with deserved scrutiny. That's why Executive Vice President David Griffin has been feeling the heat lately, despite the objectively commendable amount of talent he's accumulated for the New Orleans Pelicans over the years.
Being an NBA GM or executive is still a dream job, by all means. They're paid copiously to construct teams to play a game. It's essentially like being paid millions of dollars to put together a Pokemon lineup. That doesn't mean it's necessarily easy though. At times, it can be extremely thankless and praise for this work only comes in retrospect. While David Griffin can't celebrate his Pelicans' current performance, he has received some vindication for his choices recently.
David Griffin's draft picks have only looked better over time
It's not as if David Griffin has been perfect. In fact, there are several valid critiques of his tenure so far in New Orleans. For example, he probably waited too long to cut ties with Brandon Ingram. Rather than pull the plug while BI had peak value, Griffin and the Pels dragged out an inevitable divorce and ultimately had to trade him for cents on the dollar as an expiring contract. In return for a 27-year-old career 20-point scorer and former All-Star, New Orleans only got back one single future first-round pick. This was a direct result of Griffin's hesitance, as Ingram's injuries, expiring deal, and public desire for a large extension hampered his trade stock.
Still, Griffin's portfolio with the Pelicans has mostly been good, especially his work in the NBA Draft. Since they hired him in April 2019, he's selected several hits — some of his chosen prospects just took longer to come around than he expected. Don't get me wrong, he's had his faults in the draft too, but his record speaks for itself.
In his time with the Pelicans, he's made the following draft picks (I'm listing all of the draft prospects that ended up in New Orleans including the ones they traded for on draft night but not counting those they selected just to deal away):
2019:
#1 Zion Williamson
#8 Jaxson Hayes
#17 Nickeil Alexander-Walker
#35 Marcos Louzada Silva
2020:
#13 Kira Lewis Jr.
2021:
#17 Trey Murphy III
#35 Herb Jones
2022:
#8 Dyson Daniels
#41 E.J. Liddell
#52 Karlo Matkovic
2023:
#14 Jordan Hawkins
2024:
#21 Yves Missi
#47 Antonio Reeves
Heading into this season, David Griffin already had a pretty strong draft record, especially with Nickeil Alexander-Walker emerging as a legitimate playoff-caliber rotation player for the Minnesota Timberwolves. This year though, several of his chosen prospects took leaps that only bolstered his history.
Dyson Daniels has proven to be one of the most impactful perimeter defenders in the entire NBA for the Atlanta Hawks and has been passable on offense while showing flashes that suggest he could even become a force on that end of the court someday too. Due to special circumstances — such as lack of depth and the unexpected Luka Doncic trade — Jaxson Hayes has suddenly become an integral part of the Los Angeles Lakers, and he's responded well as a shot blocker and finisher for two of the most prolific playmakers in league history in Doncic and LeBron James. After an overseas furlough for a couple of years, Karlo Matkovic returned to New Orleans this summer and has looked like a legitimate NBA player as of late filling in for the shorthanded Pelicans.
With those players stepping up this season, David Griffin's hit rate in the draft suddenly looks spectacular. If Jordan Hawkins can cash in on his potential and Antonio Reeves turns out to be a solid piece too, he could have a practically immaculate success rate. This bodes well for the Pelicans who will likely have a top-tier pick this summer that could drastically swing the fortunes of their franchise.