New Orleans Pelicans: 5 compelling first-round draft targets

New Orleans Pelicans (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

3. Jordan Nwora

Positional needs aside, to get better through the draft, the Pelicans need to improve their scoring abilities and bring in defence to balance out the offensive abilities that this current roster already has. Sure, these young guys are only going to get better on the defensive end, but defensive minded players are currently a glaring need. The Pelicans have a 111.6 defensive rating on the year and this needs to be brought down if they want to be a playoff team at any time in the near future.

Now, Green and Maxey would be prospects at the shooting guard position – a position where a prospect is needed – however, Nwora is predominantly a small forward. The Pelicans have Brandon Ingram as their potential future superstar but Nwora is one of the best available at this point of the lottery. Perhaps not as highly regarded in terms of NBA potential as some other guys, Nwora was one of the standout players in this past college season.

As the No. 1 player on Louisville, who was the best team in the nation for a large chunk of the season, Nwora was terrific in his junior year. From making the All-ACC Third-team and picking up the ACC Most Improved Player award in 2019 to making the All-ACC First-team in 2020, Nwora’s three seasons as a Cardinal saw him develop into one of the premier players in college hoops and it would ominous from the get-go, in this past season, that Nwora was an NBA player.

Again, Nwora is someone who will benefit from players with playmakers such as Ball and his ability to space the floor and score well would prove to be a lovely asset off of the Pelican bench. Nwora developed into a consistent 3-point shooter in his junior year, scoring 18.0 points per game, as well as recording 7.7 boards a game.

His shooting skills, as well as his athleticism and physical talent, will translate at the next level and allow him to become a reliant NBA forward. Defensively, Nwora’s physicality would allow him to be a reliable on-ball defender with plenty of room to grow into a great defensive player. He could be an important piece in terms of efficient depth in New Orleans and is definitely one worth taking a risk on.