Throughout the offseason, I have frequently criticized the New Orleans Pelicans' front office. However, lately, I've been leaning more towards positivity than negativity. But that run of me being positive and joyful when it comes to the Pelicans is going to take a brief pause in this piece.
In the latest article Keith Smith published for Spotrac, he quoted conversations he had with executives from all 15 Western Conference teams. In his section about the Pelicans, he quoted an unnamed Pelicans executive who suggested the front office wasn't worried about Yves Missi's poor summer league performance. Smith quoted the executive.
"Things were pretty messy here (Las Vegas) for him. But we’ve got evidence of his succeeding in real NBA games. That means about a million times more than a couple of wonky Summer League games. Mostly, I’m excited that he owned the paint on defense. Yves got moved a little too easily last year. You can already see that won’t be the case this year,”
Although I do agree with part of this quote, I think ignoring Missi's poor offensive production can't be something the Pelicans do.
During his time in Vegas, the second-year big shot an abysmal 29% from the field on just over 10 attempts per game. Because of Missi's offensive limitations, all of his shots came at the basket. Making his field goal percentage even more concerning, as all of his misses were either dunks or layups.
His touch was way off, as he was over-shooting layups as well as coming up too short at the rim. Missi even had one game against the Trail Blazers where he shot 1-for-11 from the field.
While finishing wasn't an issue during his rookie year, as he shot 59% at the rim last season, his performances during summer league are still a major concern. We've seen rookies like Tyreke Evans and Emeka Okafor have really good first seasons in the league, giving fans every reason to be excited for the future, only to totally flop. And while I hope this isn't the case for Missi, if the Pelicans don't address his struggles to finish, he could end up like either of these guys.
What i do agree with from this quote
While I don't agree with this Pelicans exec's stance on Missi's offensive game, I do agree with his thoughts on him as a defender.
He looked much more comfortable and aware of his surroundings as a defender during his time in Vegas, compared to his rookie season. The defensive improvements are also clearly reflected in his stats while playing in summer league, as Missi led the Pelicans in blocks per game with an average of 2.3.
This type of defensive impact is hopefully something that translates to the 2025-26 season. As for his offensive struggles, hopefully, they follow the saying "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas".