The New Orleans picked in the lottery in 2022 and 2023.
This year, they will have to wait a little longer to make their selection.
The Pelicans hold the 21st pick in this week's NBA draft, which will be spread across two days — Wednesday and Thursday.
New Orleans has an obvious need at center with Jonas Valanciunas about to hit unrestricted free agency and backup big man Larry Nance Jr. entering the final year of his contract. Several mock drafts have linked the Pelicans to Yves Missi, an athletic but raw center who spent his only college season at Baylor.
If the Pelicans do stay at No. 21, The Times-Picayune's prediction is that they will take one of the three following players, assuming any of them are still on the board.
As The Times-Picayune wrote last week, the Pelicans tend to favor prospects who are either from the southern part of the United States or grew up outside of the coutnry. All of these players fit that bill.
Yves Missi
6-11, 230 pounds, Baylor, 20 years old
At the draft combine in May, Missi’s vertical leap was 38½ inches. The Belgian-born, Cameroonian-raised Missi has great physical tools — which is why he will be a first-round pick, despite him starting to play organized basketball at 16 years old.
Missi’s put-back dunks and blocked shots at Baylor were impressive. He projects as a low-usage rim-running center who could be a deterrent at the rim at the NBA level. Missi moves well in space, and he gets off the ground quickly for someone his size.
Offensively, Missi still has a long ways to go. More than nine out of every 10 shots he attempted in college were at the rim. Jump shots — even from 10 to 15 feet away — are not in his repertoire right now, and they may never be. Additionally, Missi shot 61.6% at the free-throw line in college.
Missi would benefit from playing with a guard who is a talented pick-and-roll creator. The Pelicans don’t have such a player right now.
Isaiah Collier
6-3, 205 pounds, USC, 19 years old
Collier was the No. 1-ranked player in his high school class. Once thought to be a top-five pick, an underwhelming freshman season at USC has him sliding down draft boards.
Collier is a strong, powerful lead guard who loves to get downhill. He has a talent for getting past his defender off the dribble and finishing at the rim, where he is crafty. He can use either hand to score from a variety of angles. His size allows him to absorb contact and still convert.
Collier’s jump shot is inconsistent. He made 3s at a 33.8% rate while knocking down 67.3% of his free throws. He also can be mistake-prone. He averaged 3.3 turnovers per game.
The Pelicans have not had many guards who were strong pick-and-roll creators in the Zion Williamson era. Collier, if he hits, has the potential to fill that role. Collier’s straight-line speed stands out, and he’s got a good handle. If he makes jump shots at the NBA level, Collier will outperform his draft slot.
Zach Edey
7-4, 299 pounds, Purdue, 22 years old
Edey reportedly has crushed the workout circuit, which is no surprise. He is in fantastic shape for a player his size.
ESPN's most recent mock draft projected the Miami Heat to take him with the No. 15 pick. If Edey is somehow on the board at No. 21, the Pelicans could snap him up as a change-of-pace center.
Edey was a four-year college player who NBA teams hope will contribute right away. Edey is massive — as The Athletic pointed out, only Victor Wembanyama will have a longer wingspan than the Canadian giant — and skilled.
He can score from the post with either hand. In the national championship game against Connecticut's Donovan Clingan, a likely top-five pick in this week's draft, Edey scored 37 points.
How will Edey affect games when the offense isn't built around his post-up game? Will he be a traffic cone defending in space in the NBA?
These are the major questions Edey will have to answer at the next level.