14. New Orleans Pelicans – Keyonte George, G, Baylor
The New Orleans Pelicans are a team that just polished off a season that was truly a tale of two halves. During the first half of the season, the Pelicans looked like they were ready to take a leap forward. Through the first 35 games of the season, the Pelicans were the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. However, they fell apart in the second half of the season – in large part due to the injury to Zion Williamson.
So heading into the offseason, the Pelicans have two primary goals. First, they need to get healthy, and second, they need to continue to add quality talent to this core. The first one is something they don’t really have control over but the second, they do. And part of that starts at the NBA Draft.
At No.14, it’s tough to envision this team finding a truly franchise-altering prospect. But they should absolutely take the gamble on Keyonte George. His biggest question is whether or not he can emerge as an efficient offensive player at the next level. He struggled with that during his freshman season at Baylor but still managed to be quite productive for one of the best teams in college basketball.