Sporting News - Pelicans have the 2nd best draft

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Winner: New Orleans Pelicans J. Kyle Mann: For a team that went 36-46, finished ninth in the West, and then slid under the solid steel sliding playoff door like a secret agent, New Orleans’s choice at no. 8 in the draft felt like icing on the cake—NOLA didn’t need much, especially with the potential (hypothetical/speculative/possible) return of Zion Williamson on the horizon. But it still wound up with a fantastic fit in Dyson Daniels. Daniels, who spent one season with the G League Ignite, is an even-keeled, gliding, probing, connective playmaker with terrific size (nearly 6-foot-8) and an efficient, unassuming game that should quickly complement the likes of Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, and Zion. Although he’s not exactly an elite playmaker, he’s a quality decision-maker in the middle of the floor on low touch time—exactly the kind of lubrication that this offense needs. Dyson has some shooting issues, chiefly in his lower body, but (cue one of my favorite things to talk about) he will now get the chance to work with someone who’s had fantastic success molding players who suffer from similar issues: the mystical and magical Fred Vinson.

Ohio State’s E.J. Liddell at 41 is also a solid value; the 6-7 forward could develop into a key piece for smaller lineups. Granted, we’re assuming a lot here; all hopes for the team next season springboards off one competitive first-round series against a Phoenix team that ended up being wobbly. But the season of Pels positivity continues, at least in my view.

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