Yves Missi Has Widest Range of Possibilities of Any Pelican This Season

The third year center could play hero or scapegoat for the Pelicans this year.

New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi (21) reacts after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After a 26-win campaign last season, the New Orleans Pelicans hope for more consistency this season under new head coach Jamahl Mosley. The former Orlando Magic coach inherits a roster largely intact from last year but hopes for better results. That will start with better health, execution, and continuity as the Pelicans climb from obscurity to relevance.

There are a few wildcards on the roster that will dictate which way the season will go, but none seem more highlighted than third-year center Yves Missi. The Cameroonian center is coming off a down year last season, when most of his numbers dropped across the board from his rookie season. Now, the Pelicans may count on the former first-round pick to be a key contributor this year.

Despite his raw talent and limited playing time, Missi earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors in his first year, averaging 9.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. New Orleans seemed to have found a viable, athletic center to pair alongside Williamson in the frontcourt. However, the Pelicans threw a wrench in his development by going all in to acquire former Maryland standout Derik Queen in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. New Orleans surrendered an unprotected first-round pick to acquire the skilled big man from Baltimore.

Pelicans have already complicated Missi's development

With that kind of investment tied to Queen, the team would have to let Missi take a backseat, dropping his starts from 67 in his rookie season to 14 last year. For a player who started playing organized basketball late, at 15 years old, playing time is essential for his future development. The Pelicans now face a predicament where size in the middle is of the utmost importance this season. Last offseason, signing veteran center Kevon Looney was an utter disaster.

After one season and 21 games played, the team cut bait with the former NBA champion. New Orleans failed to secure another serviceable center during free agency, instead curiously re-signing now-38-year-old vet DeAndre Jordan to a two-year, guaranteed contract.

But the Pelicans can use what Missi does best.

The team's numbers were dreadful defensively last season. They ranked 25th in the league in opponent points in the paint, while their defensive rebounding percentage was third-worst in the NBA.

Missi doesn’t solve all of these issues, but his presence can be a step in the right direction. According to NBARPM, opponents shot 3.6% worse at the rim when Missi was in the game compared to on the bench. That positive impact also spread to defensive rebounding, where he ranked in the 91st percentile of his position group.

Missi's struggles

Not everything is rosy when Missi is on the court. At this stage in his career, he isn’t more than a lob threat offensively. He cannot create his own shot in the paint, and his shooting percentage on non-dunks is woeful for his position. Overall, he shoots just 54% from the field, which isn’t great considering most of his shots come directly at the rim. He struggles as a connective passer to open shooters, and he isn’t great individually on defense, relying more on his athleticism for help-defense blocks and deflections.  

It will be interesting to see how his playing-time numbers look this season. Executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars told reporters this summer that Zion Williamson and Queen will continue to play extensive minutes together on the court. Despite the duo being an awful defensive and shooting lineup for the team, the Pelicans seemed intrigued by their combined skill set together on the floor.

New Orleans is also logjammed in the backcourt with guards and wings galore on the roster. The Pelicans will run plenty of small-ball lineups, like they did last season, as they still lack size. Will that impact Missi to have numbers similar to his rookie year or last season, when his numbers dipped to 5.7 points and 5.8 rebounds on under 20 minutes per game?

Time will tell how everything plays out for Missi and the Pelicans. He has the physical tools to succeed, but his development may not be there to make a significant impact at center right now. Missi is the biggest wildcard on the team and may be a hidden tool for New Orleans to succeed this season.