The New Orleans Pelicans have already gotten three Summer League games in the books, and even without Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears on the floor, there’s been enough action to sort out a few clear standouts. With one more game left on the schedule - unless New Orleans sneaks into the playoffs with a loss - the Pelicans have a little more runway to keep sorting through who’s making the strongest case.
One name that jumped out right away was Kobe Bufkin. He opened Summer League with a 30-point performance in a loss, knocking down 5-of-9 from deep and adding six rebounds.
Among the players on this roster, he looks the most NBA-ready. There’s also the age factor working in his favor, since he’s a bit younger than some of the others around him.
He was a first-round pick after his sophomore season at Michigan and is still just about to turn 23. The issue is fit.
New Orleans is already pretty crowded at guard, even if a lot of those players are on the trade block. If the roster stays as is, Bufkin would have a hard time finding minutes behind Fears, Murray and Jordan Poole.
And there’s always the possibility another team can offer him a clearer path to playing time.
Malik Dia has also done plenty to help his cause. He drew early attention from this coaching staff and was in the mix when it came to their second-round pick.
He’s firmly in the conversation for one of the two-way spots, and he looks like the kind of young depth piece this roster could use. The 6-foot-9 forward has used Summer League to show off a little bit of everything.
He hasn’t been a high-volume passer, but he has scored from all three levels. He wasn’t known as a strong shooter in college, yet he hasn’t been shy about letting it fly here.
That matters, because he’ll need to stretch the floor if he wants to stick on New Orleans’ NBA roster this season. He also brings an aggressive edge defensively, which only helps his case.
In Sunday’s win over the Phoenix Suns, he posted 18 points, eight rebounds, an assist, two steals and two blocks. He would have made sense with the No. 58 overall pick, and New Orleans would be wise not to let him get away again.
Then there’s Jaron Pierre Jr., who already looks locked into one of the final two spots after the Pelicans used a draft pick on him. Even so, he’s still giving them exactly what they wanted to see.
On Sunday, his 24th birthday, he got his first start and turned in his best game yet with 16 points and three rebounds. The efficiency hasn’t been there consistently, but he has kept pressure on the rim and flashed real deep-range ability.
If New Orleans can smooth out the rough edges in his game, they may have found a very talented scorer.
In Other News...
Pelicans Missed On A Wing And It Says Plenty About Free Agency
The Pelicans have been active enough in their roster planning to at least take a swing at adding another wing, a sign they are still weighing how to round out the group before any bigger moves come into focus. New Orleans interest in free agency points to a front office that is not waiting around, especially with the team still looking for ways to add size, defense and perimeter help on the margins.
A 24-year-old wing with defensive value and a respectable three-point touch would have checked a few useful boxes for this roster, and the fact that he had already spent time with the Brooklyn Nets only added to the appeal of a player who could slot into a modern rotation. Instead, he landed with the Los Angeles Lakers, leaving the Pelicans to keep sorting through their options as they continue to shape the back end of the roster with an eye on whatever trades might still be coming. [Read more 🡒]