The Pelicans offense is in desperate need of some juice. Without Zion Williamson in the fray, New Orleans struggled to get buckets in their playoff sweet at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder. CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram struggled to initiate offense, and the Pels lack of creation ability was exposed for the world to see.
In ESPN's latest NBA mock draft, Jonathan Givony projects the Pelicans to select an explosive guard to slot into their back court. Givony, a long-time draft insider, has New Orleans selecting Isaiah Collier, a guard from teh University of Southern California. Here's what they Givony had to say about the selection.
"Being drafted at No. 21 would indicate a big slide for Collier, who entered college as the No. 1-ranked recruit in his high school class and was at one point considered a candidate to be the No. 1 pick (see ESPN's mock draft from Nov. 30). With few teams in the Nos. 12-20 range in the market for a lead guard with questionable shooting ability, Collier has a wide range because of the amount of playmaking usage he'll likely need to reach his full potential and the fact that most of the teams picking outside the top 10 are in win-now mode.Givony
The Pelicans might be a team willing to take a longer view, as they don't have any glaring roster needs that they are likely to fill at this stage in the draft. "
Pelicans fans may be rooting for the franchise to draft a USC guard, just not this one. Collier would be a prudent selection for the Pels. He's fearless attacking the basket, and while he lacks elite shooting touch, his playmaking skills could shine alongside New Orleans' elite shooting talent.