Summer league has been off to an incredible start for the New Orleans Pelicans, who are 2-1 and have seen several players take strides towards potentially earning a contract with the franchise. But through all the positives, there are obviously some negatives from the Pelicans' time in Vegas, and none is bigger than the continued reminder of how weak New Orleans is in the middle.
Entering the offseason, the center spot was a major topic of discussion among fans, as it felt like the one area of the roster that truly needed an upgrade. Apparently, Joe Dumars thought otherwise.
Seeing Hunter Dickinson get fed minutes for New Orleans’ summer league team has been a less-than-enjoyable or exciting watch for fans. And it serves as a reminder that while the Pelicans are without a veteran at the five, they don’t have a blue-chip prospect there either. It would be one thing if Dickinson were a standout, but all of the Pelicans' standouts have been guards or forwards, areas where this team already has depth and talent.
New Orleans still hasn’t solved its biggest issue
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a massive Yves Missi guy, but gradual progression is a much more realistic expectation than assuming he’ll be ready to rock out as a full-time starter next season. So I’m not getting myself too excited about that potential experiment going into this upcoming campaign.
As far as Derik Queen goes, he’s still a complete unknown.
The consensus among most in the Pelicans community is that he is better suited as a power forward long-term, but there’s no clarity on that development because he wasn’t asked to play in Vegas. Assuming he is still not ready to be an NBA center because of strength and physical development, the Pelicans are slated to have a frontcourt of Dickinson, Missi, Karlo Matkovic, and 37-year-old DeAndre Jordan. When scanning opposing teams' projected depth charts, the only ones with a potentially worse frontcourt are the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers.
That’s nasty work.
With a loaded guard room that features an ascending Jeremiah Fears, Jordan Poole is poised for a bounce back, and a healthy Dejounte Murray they need for another guard was never there. The same thing goes for the forward spots with guys like Zion Williamson, Saddiq Bey, Herb Jones, Derik Queen, and Trey Murphy III all expected to be back. Yet with the way summer league is going, the wing or guard position will likely be where New Orleans uses what is expected to be their final two-way spot.
At least the front office could’ve brought in other centers to compete in the summer league and challenge Dickinson a bit. Instead, they brought in one other true five, Nate Mensah, who is playing under 15 minutes per game and is shooting 28.6 percent from the floor.
Aside from injuries, a lack of center has been the Pelicans' biggest downfall over the past several seasons, and once again, it appears they’ll head into another season with the same flaw.
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