New Orleans Pelicans: 5 compelling first-round draft targets

New Orleans Pelicans (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)

2. RJ Hampton

This is one who could easily be off the board by the time the Pelicans are on the clock. But, if by chance he is still there, then the opportunity to take him could prove to be too tempting to turn down. Hampton, a 19-year-old guard, was a five-star recruit out of high school and turned down offers from top-tier colleges like Kansas in order to start playing professional basketball with the New Zealand Breakers before becoming an NBA player.

Before returning back to US soil, Hampton played fifteen games with the Breakers, averaging 8.8 points per game on 20.6 minutes per game. The thing about Hampton is his ceiling. Many are tipping him to have enormous potential, which would definitely be worth gambling in the mid-first-round.

Differently to other prospects on this list, Hampton is more of a shot-creating guard. He also boasts the ability to finish well and can shoot efficiently. He certainly has the size, at 6’5″, to become a tough defender and if he fills out his frame, physicality-wise, Hampton will cause other guards plenty of problems in the half-court.

Playing professional basketball at 18 is always going to be tough, but his decision to do that would’ve helped him gain important knowledge of how to play the game at the next level – something he’ll have on other players in this draft. You could say that this pick is a gamble, but, again, it’s one worth taking.

You know you’re going to be getting scoring with Hampton. He would bring more back up to that point guard spot and would be a player that could turn into something very good.