The New Orleans Pelicans have officially announced their roster for the 2019 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Let’s take a look at some of the players on the team to keep an eye on.
One of the great things about the NBA is that the way the league is set up now, there really isn’t a legitimate offseason.
As soon as the Toronto Raptors were crowned champions on June 13, we were just one week away from the 2019 NBA Draft, where the league brought in a whole new class of basketball talent. Then, of course, all through that period was the nonstop talk of NBA free agency, with most of that coming to a head this past Sunday (still waiting on you, Kawhi Leonard).
Well now, just days after all of the free agency madness, we have the start of the NBA Summer League, where rookies and unproven players can showcase their talent and make the case to make an NBA roster. The New Orleans Pelicans will begin their Summer League play on Friday night against the New York Knicks in Las Vegas, and on Monday, they announced their roster that they’ll be bringing to Sin City:
#Pelicans' @NBASummerLeague roster! pic.twitter.com/fKlNdIW1Ud
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) July 1, 2019
You may have noticed that a couple of the first round selections for the Pelicans, Jaxson Hayes and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, are omitted from the roster. They unfortunately will not be able to join the team until the Anthony Davis trade with the Los Angeles Lakers is finalized, which will be on July 6 at the earliest.
Those guys will be two of the more intriguing players to watch for the Pels whenever they are able to play, but for now let’s talk about a few of the other players that are already on the Summer League roster to watch for during the games in Vegas.