2023 NBA Draft Team Recap: New Orleans Pelicans
The 2023-2024 New Orleans Pelicans are going to look very similar to the 2022-2023 iteration that we saw. GM Trajan Langdon and company essentially chose to run it back with the hopes they will get a healthy season from Zion Williamson and continued growth from young players like Dyson Daniels, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III and others.
The one addition they made does have an elite skill that should pay dividends. With the final pick in the 2023 NBA Draft lottery, the Pelicans selected perhaps the best 3-point shooter - and unquestionably the best movement shooter - in this class.
While the 2022-2023 college basketball season delivered plenty of sophomore breakout campaigns, there may not have been any larger than the one made by Jordan Hawkins. He improved his box score stats in every single category. A few noteworthy examples are his points per game, 5.8 to 16.2, his 3-point shooting, 33% on 3.0 attempts to 39% on 7.6 attempts, and rebounds, 2.0 to 3.8 per contest.
His impact went far beyond the box score, as we know he eventually would finish off his career at the University of Connecticut with a win in the national championship game. The 21-year-old is far more than a catch-and-shoot player as nobody in college basketball ran off more off ball screens or utilized them as efficiently as Hawkins.
Even though he struggled from deep in the NBA Summer League - 25% on 7.2 attempts - this is a way that Hawkins should be able to immediately contribute at the NBA level. To become more than a second unit floor spacer there are some areas that the DeMatha Catholic High School alum must improve.
While he does have more athleticism and bounce than many would guess, he didn’t always take advantage of his shooting gravity to pressure the rim and show that off. Hawkins was also a willing defender that gave great effort but adding a few pounds of muscle to his frame would overall help the versatility he could offer on that end of the floor.
Hawkins was essentially it for the 2023 NBA Draft for New Orleans, but it should be noted that there is still opportunity to make two-way signings to continue adding talent.
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