Pelicans' Yves Missi Discusses Main Areas in Need of Improvement in His Game

The brutal 2025-2026 NBA season is over for the New Orleans Pelicans, and now the focus is on the players and organization to use this offseason to dramatically improve. New Orleans conducted end-of-season interviews on Monday, with many players echoing the sentiment that they want to improve individually this summer.

One of those was second-year center Yves Missi, who had a disappointing season compared to his rookie year.

Missi specifically stated that his main goal for the offseason is to improve his core strength to enhance his performance next season. He emphasized that improving his strength will help him on both ends of the court. “Free throws, finishing, and rebounding is a big part of it as well”, Missi told reporters. “Gonna be in the weight room for sure.”

The Cameroonian-born center’s numbers were down across the board this season after his rookie year, when he was nominated to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

"Free throws, finishing and rebounding is a big part of it as well... Gonna be in the weight room for sure"

-- Yves Missi on his focus in the summer pic.twitter.com/M2aL8QpDtB
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) April 13, 2026

Yves Missi Has Untapped Upside Despite Disappointing Second Year

The former first-round pick went from averaging 9.1 points and 8.2 rebounds in 67 starts his first year in the league to 5.7 points and 5.8 rebounds in just 14 starts this past season.

Some of the reduced playing time could be attributed to Zion Williamson's improved health this year and the emergence of rookie forward Derik Queen. Williamson played only 30 games in Missi’s rookie year, compared to 62 this season.

Still, much more was expected from Missi this year after such a surprising rookie campaign. Many viewed the former Baylor standout as a project when the Pelicans drafted him with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Missi comes from a basketball family, with both parents having played on Cameroon's national basketball team. However, his first passion was soccer, and he didn’t start playing organized basketball until around the age of 15. Some of the late basketball blooming can be found in his lack of refinement in his game.

The 6-foot-11 center struggles at times to finish around the basket, especially if not a direct lob to the goal. He also struggles when he gets the ball in space away from the basket. His indecision on what to do on secondary rotations off the pick-and-roll limits his effectiveness if he can’t make it all the way to the basket and finish.

Missi continues to be a force as a defensive deterrent at the rim, thanks to his elite jumping ability and athleticism. He ranked 9th in the league in blocks per game for players who played more than 50 games this season. Ditto for his offensive rebounding prowess, where he averages nearly three offensive boards per game.

When Yves Missi jumped over 7’ Zach Edey 😱 pic.twitter.com/GGP1Pzv7kR
— Fastbreak Hoops (@FastbreakHoops5) March 12, 2026

The Pelicans' defensive rating is 3.8 points per 100 possessions better when Missi is on the floor than when he is not. Lineups with Missi and Williamson have the best defensive ratings among tandems that have played more than 100 minutes together on the team.

Both Williamson and Queen have proven to be defensive liabilities, so Missi’s presence in the paint is necessary when one of those big men is in the game. His problem is the lack of contributions offensively to draw out opposing big men from the paint, so either Williamson or Queen can operate down low. The next evolution in Missi’s game would be to develop a consistent midrange jump shot to be an offensive threat.

New Orleans brought in veteran centers like DeAndre Jordan and Kevon Looney last offseason, but neither player expects to be on the roster next year. Year 3 is a crucial year for Missi in determining his long-term future in New Orleans. Missi signed a four-year deal when drafted, but the Pelicans have team options on him for the next two seasons. There was trade buzz surrounding his name at the deadline, but no deal materialized.

This offseason, Missi will need to improve his game to be a major contributor not only next year, but also in the years to come in New Orleans.

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