Karlo Matkovic has every reason to feel good about how the offseason has unfolded in New Orleans.
The Pelicans chose to keep the former second-round pick around by picking up his team option, locking in a $2.3 million salary for this season. That decision mattered, especially with some around the league wondering whether New Orleans would pass on the option in search of extra cap room for a bigger swing.
Instead, the Pelicans have stayed mostly quiet. Their one notable move in the frontcourt came with the decision not to pick up veteran center Kevon Looney’s option, a move that cleared about $8 million in salary cap space.
Looney then landed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers this week. Outside of that, New Orleans has only re-signed 37-year-old DeAndre Jordan to a one-year deal, leaving the frontcourt group looking thin with Zion Williamson, Derik Queen, Yves Missi and Matkovic in the mix.
That setup gives Matkovic a real opening.
The 6-foot-10 forward’s biggest edge is obvious: he can stretch the floor. Last season, he knocked down 42% of his three-pointers, a huge jump from the 31% mark he posted the year before. He also finished with a career-best 60.4% from the field and ranked 16th in the NBA in three-point percentage among players with at least 90 attempts.
Karlo Matković Season Recap:• Career-high in FG% (60.4%) and 3PT% (42.2%)• Ranked 16th in the NBA in 3PT% (min. 90 attempts)• Ranked 4th among year 2 NBA players in blocks per 36 (min. 50 games played)https://t.co/dMdhov8YSN
For a Pelicans team that has long wanted a stretch big next to Williamson, that skill set stands out. Databallr showed that the Matkovic-Williamson pairing posted a +3.1 net rating, the best big-man combination with Zion last season among pairings that played more than 50 minutes.
He brings more than shooting, too. Matkovic plays with energy, rotates well from the weak side and has been a steady source of rim protection in his young career.
He averages nearly a block per game and a little more than four rebounds per game. That matters for New Orleans, which has struggled badly on the glass; the Pelicans gave up nearly 30% of opponents’ offensive rebounds last season.
Matkovic won’t fix that problem by himself, but his effort gives the team a better chance to chip away at it.
In 62 games last season, he averaged 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per game. Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but the fit does.
New Orleans can use his shooting in lineups with either Queen or Williamson, since neither has established a reliable outside shot. Matkovic helps keep the lane open for both of them to attack downhill.
The next hurdle is simple: when defenders run him off the arc, he has to show he can put the ball on the floor and make the right read. More minutes should help him sharpen that part of his game.
For now, the Pelicans’ quiet summer has left the door wide open. With his option secured and a roster that needs exactly what he offers, Matkovic has a clear chance to make this the best season of his young career.
In Other News...
Pelicans Suddenly Face A Familiar Frontcourt Decision
Jonas Valanciunas is back on the market after his release from the Denver Nuggets, and that alone is enough to put New Orleans in familiar territory. The veteran center spent time with the Pelicans before, giving them steady production in the paint and on the glass, and his track record in the role is exactly why his name is already surfacing again as the frontcourt picture gets sorted out.
For a team that has spent plenty of time weighing size, rebounding and lineup balance, Valanciunas represents a straightforward kind of solution. The fit makes sense on paper because he could come in as a relatively affordable option, but there has been no official agreement yet, leaving the Pelicans with another frontcourt decision to monitor as the market develops. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Opener May Have Changed The Race For Roster Spots
The Pelicans summer league opener against Minnesota offered an early look at which young players might separate themselves in the scramble for roster spots, even in a 105-92 loss. Kobe Bufkin led the way with 30 points and gave New Orleans the kind of two-way activity teams want to see from an experienced player trying to establish himself in Vegas.
Micah Peavy also helped his case with a confident shooting night and active perimeter defense, while Markquis Nowell kept the offense organized and flashed the kind of playmaking that can matter in a crowded evaluation setting. Hunter Dickinson, meanwhile, did not help his own push for a role, leaving the Pelicans with at least a few clear winners from a game that may carry more weight than the final score suggests. [Read more 🡒]