14. New Orleans Pelicans – Cason Wallace, G, Kentucky
Instead of making a big move for Scoot Henderson, the New Orleans Pelicans hold onto the No. 14 pick and still get a possible point guard of the future in Cason Wallace. The good news for the Pelicans is that even though many may not think that Wallace has the upside of some of the other point guard prospects in this year’s NBA Draft class, he would theoretically be a great fit next to CJ McCollum in the backcourt.
Wallace is a defensive-minded guard that has shown the ability to be a good playmaker. He also proved during his freshman season at Kentucky that he can be a good and consistent 3-point shooter – he shot 35 percent from deep on four attempts per game this postseason for the Wildcats.
Coming from the Kentucky pipeline, maybe Wallace ends up developing into a better player than most envision. We’ve seen it before with Tyler Herro and Tyrese Maxey most recently. I’m not saying Wallace is any of those players but perhaps he can out-develop his ceiling.
After not making a big move to trade up, the Pelicans hope this addition will solidify their depth in the backcourt heading into next season.