For years now, ever since they paired Zion Williamson with Brandon Ingram, the New Orleans Pelicans have been a team that has failed to live up to their roster's hype. Since assembling their young star duo, they've gone on to compile more talent that was expected to take the team to the next level, but they've failed to clear the hump over and over again.
Strong support pieces such as Jonas Valanciunas, Larry Nance Jr., and Josh Hart have come and gone, with minimal impact to the Pelicans' overall ceiling. Currently, the franchise has surrounded Zion and BI with an extremely encouraging supporting cast, including CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy III, and Herb Jones.
And yet, despite a seemingly loaded roster, there's little optimism surrounding the team. In fact, there's been more talk of a potential Ingram trade than there has been of the Pelicans' championship chances next season. This time, though, the team will have a legitimate gripe concerning the roster if New Orleans were to fall short again: their lack of center depth. At the time of writing, they have two listed centers on the active roster: German veteran journeyman Daniel Theis and Baylor rookie Yves Missi.
Can the Pelicans overcome a stunted center rotation?
Daniel Theis was one of many NBA talents who boosted their stocks in the 2024 Summer Olympics. Playing for Germany, who fell just short against Serbia for Bronze, he averaged 7.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Most importantly, though, he put up 22.7 minutes per outing, showing that he's healthy enough to play strong minutes against top competition again.
That said, relying on a 32-year-old Daniel Theis after several serious injuries is a recipe for disaster. And yet, the only other center that the Pelicans will have available to open the season is their first-round draft pick, Yves Missi.
Missi quickly shot up big boards leading up to the 2024 NBA Draft due to his relentless motor and physical measurables. In a relatively weak draft, his combination of effort and athleticism made him as close to a surefire pick as was available at 21. Even the most optimistic believers in his talent wouldn't have expected him to be a major contributor to a playoff hopeful in year one, though. And yet, that's exactly what he'll have to be if the Pelicans are to make any noise in this upcoming season.
Can Yves Missi live up to his great expectations?
In his freshman year with the Bears, Missi proved to be an impactful player, on par with some of the more hyped big men that were drafted ahead of him like Alexandre Sarr and Kel'el Ware. At Baylor, he averaged 10.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks while shooting 61 percent in just under 23 minutes per game.
The best rookies scale up their production with the NBA's expedited pace and more gracious spacing. Big men, though, can often struggle to keep up with their conditioning. They can also fail to keep out of foul trouble against the league's litany of professional scorers. There's a reason why the 2023-24 Rookie of the Year, Victor Wembanyama, only played 29 minutes a night.
Expecting Missi and Theis to fill 48 minutes of passable center play game in and game out is a lofty proposition from New Orleans. There are a few contingency plans that they may have in their back pocket, like going small with Zion or even Herb Jones at center or targeting a true anchor in an Ingram trade down the line.
Whatever the plan is, the Pelicans have to make sure that they don't leave Missi hanging out to dry. A slow start for New Orleans due to a shaky center rotation could end their season before it really gets started. Even worse, heaping heavy expectations onto a 20-year-old rookie that he won't meet might just shatter his confidence and stunt his development.