The New Orleans Pelicans picked University of Baylor’s Yves Missi as the 21st pick in the NBA draft. The seven-foot center did a pre-draft workout with the Pelicans earlier and they liked what they saw from the 20-year-old. Recently, Brian Windhorst talked about Missi and his upcoming rookie season with the New Orleans franchise.
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The ESPN Insider said that even though he is a great young talent, the Pelicans need something more than just him as their centerpiece.
Windhorst added that Missi is a great addition to the team that performed very well last season until the Zion Williamson injury. While they are in urgent need of a starting center on their roster, Missi cannot be expected to fill that up from the moment he enters the league.
Windhorst believes that the Pelicans have been on the lookout for a dependable center this offseason and “It would not surprise me if they are active in the trade market into July looking to add a starting center.”
Brian Windhorst: It would not surprise me if they are active in the trade market into July looking to add a starting center… Let's see where the Pelicans are two weeks from now and whether Brandon Ingram is on the team and whether they have acquired their center. pic.twitter.com/hwIFVbszsr
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) June 27, 2024
The 46-year-old analyzed that Missi would be assigned the role of a backup center, alongside whoever the Pelicans sign next month. Jonas Valanciunas is now a free agent and according to reports, the Lakers are eyeing to bring him in. Drafting Missi was only one part of the bigger picture.
Right now, they also have the Brandon Ingram situation building up. The 26-year-old is currently in the last year of his contract and Windhorst believes that the Pelicans’ decision regarding him will also make a massive impact on the team structure. The biggest issue is that they need to free up space for a more important acquisition in the upcoming month.
According to several reports, Ingram is expected to be traded in the upcoming week. However, going by the performance of the team last season, it seems unlikely that the franchise will act on it. As of now, the Pels have drafted a player that they were swooning over in the last few weeks.
Pelicans General Manager was all praise for Yves Missi
When Missi did his pre-draft workout with the Pelicans, he managed to leave a lasting impact on the management. But even before that, their GM Bryson Graham had his eyes set on the youngster. During a media interaction, he said,
“I went to Baylor and Yves really stood out… He really progressed by the time I saw him again.”
Bryson Graham: "I went to Baylor and Yves really stood out… He really progressed by the time I saw him again… His ability to play multiple coverages, you see that a lot right now in the NBA and saw that with teams playing deep in the playoffs… We're happy he fell to 21 pic.twitter.com/fcugmmOKmS
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) June 27, 2024
Graham told the reporters that he was glad things fell into the right place and drafting Missi could become a reality for them. He said, “His ability to play multiple coverages, you see that a lot right now in the NBA and saw that with teams playing deep in the playoffs… We’re happy he fell to 21.”
As impressed as the Pelicans are by the youngster, it’ll be interesting to see how they use him within the team structure from the next season.
