The Athletic article on Missi

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if there’s one bright spot to take away from all the dark clouds hanging over the Pelicans in recent weeks, it’s been the surprising emergence of Missi and the experience he’s gained from situations like this.

“It’s great for him to get these minutes and these experiences early in the season. It’s going to pay off huge for him as we progress throughout the year,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “We expect this is going to pay off for him in the long run.”

But Missi hasn’t been getting playing time because there aren’t enough bodies available. He’s shown steady improvement just about every time he’s stepped on the floor, and he’s proven to be the most effective center on the roster by a wide margin.

Coming into the season, the belief was the Pels would try to avoid using their centers as much as possible because they lacked reliable options that could be effective playing 30-plus minutes per night.

It certainly feels like Missi will be the starting center in New Orleans for the rest of the season (and perhaps for the foreseeable future) even when all the injured players start coming back.

He’s shown he can make an impact from day one with his energy, rim protection and vertical spacing. While it was apparent he had the physical gifts to provide those things, his feel for the game is much more advanced than some people expected from someone who didn’t start playing organized basketball until he was 15.

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At the start of training camp, it was clear Missi still had a lot to learn about the little things centers must grasp when entering the NBA: defending without fouling, screening effectively, spacing the floor, etc. Having great size and athleticism isn’t enough to earn consistent minutes.

However, one of the qualities the coaching staff and his teammates have raved about the most since Missi’s arrival is how quickly he’s retained information and immediately applied it to what he’s doing on the floor. By the end of training camp, some members of the coaching staff couldn’t believe how much his game developed in a short time before the start of the regular season.

“It’s special. You don’t find many sponges who can absorb information and apply it to the next game or apply it to the moment,” Pelicans star Brandon Ingram said. “We’re happy that we have him and we can count on him to defend and make the right plays on the offensive end.”

His steady growth and improved understanding of the game have allowed him to become more productive in recent weeks. Over the last four games, he’s averaging 10.3 points and 10 rebounds, grabbing double-digit boards in three of those four games.

Among rookies, he’s second in rebounds (94), third in blocks (16) and sixth in minutes (329). He’s also played the second-most minutes of any Pelicans player this season. Missi’s fluid movement in the open floor and explosive athleticism were the biggest reasons he became an intriguing first-round prospect for a lot of teams after his one year at Baylor. Still, what the Pelicans have enjoyed most about his development is how quickly he’s picked up some of the smaller details that gave him issues a few months ago.

He went from fouling uncontrollably in the preseason to never having more than three fouls in his first 14 games. His defensive rebounding numbers have gradually gone up over time. His footwork is also pretty underrated, and he’ll bust out a move now and then that leaves unsuspecting defenders in the dust.

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