New Orleans Pelicans: Top 10 NBA Draft in franchise history

8. Julian Wright (SF) — No. 13 pick in 2007 NBA Draft

Career stats (with the Hornets, 2007-10): 179 GP, 4.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 49.6 FG%, 27.5 3P%, 61.0 FT%

Julian Wright came into the NBA with high-flying athleticism. He had his share of crowd-pleasing moments. However, he couldn’t become anything beyond a third-string small forward while in New Orleans.

Wright joined the Hornets at a time when the small forward position was already crowded. Peja Stojakovic was the starter while Rasual Butler was his backup. Wright only managed to average 3.9 points and 2.1 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per game in his rookie campaign.

Despite his low output, Wright still came away with a 15.4 PER. He also contributed 1.7 win shares to a team that won a franchise-high 56 games.

Wright saw a little more playing time during the 2008 NBA Playoffs, as Butler fell to injury at the beginning of that March. He only averaged 11.9 minutes per game, but managed to appear in 11 of the Hornets’ 12 postseason games. It was a promising start to Wright’s career.

However, in the following two seasons, Wright continued to hold third-string status behind Butler (2008-09) and James Posey (2009-10). He averaged 13.5 minutes per game over those two seasons along with 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds.

In the summer of 2010, the Hornets traded Wright to the Toronto Raptors for Marco Bellinelli. He played one season with the Raptors then fell out of the league altogether. Wright has spent the last six seasons overseas. He is currently in Italy with Pallacanestro Reggiana.

Julian Wright had NBA-level athleticism. However, it wasn’t enough for him to maintain a role in an NBA rotation. Instead, he managed to find an environment overseas where he could utilize his tools.