One of the things I want to stop preaching as the New Orleans Pelicans get deeper into their offseason is that for this team to be successful, they need to bring in real floor-spacers. You can feel however you want about the coaching from both Willie Green and James Borrego, but nothing held this group back more than their lack of perimeter scoring. Look at someone like Trey Murphy III, who was this group's only real consistent high-volume shooter last season.
Although some fans may look at the No. 58 pick in this week's draft as a throwaway, the Pelicans could have the chance to heavily boost their outside scoring. Vanderbilt's Tyler Nickel is projected to go late in the second round and could be a great first step for Joe Dumars as he brings in more shooters.
Nickel's three-ball would be a massive boost for the Pelicans
In his senior season, Nickel averaged 13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. Not super eye-catching stats, but what will catch your eye is his 40.0 percent from beyond the arc on 7.6 attempts per game. Whether it’s off the catch, using a screen to create separation, or a straight transition pull-up, there were few players in college basketball last season more knockdown than Nickel. This wasn’t just a one-season wonder, either, as in the two seasons prior, he shot 39.9 percent on 4.5 attempts and 40.5 percent on 6.1 attempts.
New Orleans was in the bottom 10 in all three-point shooting stats and metrics last season, so for them getting a guy with this outside shooting ability at No. 58 would be perfect.
Outside of the perimeter shooting, there is still a lot to like with Nickel. He has an incredibly high basketball IQ that makes him a great connective passer and allows him to be effective defensively.
We often see shooters enter the league as pure knockdowns who can’t stop a parked car. Nickel is different. Measuring in at 6-foot-6 (barefoot) with a 6-foot-8.5 wingspan gives him an advantage size-wise defensively. While he isn’t a plus athlete, the awareness and willingness to use his body make him a decent playmaker on that end, reflected in his 0.8 steals per game.
If Nickel did end up with the Pelicans at No. 58, he would likely sign a two-way deal rather than a standard rookie scale deal. This gives New Orleans the same advantage they had with Bryce McGowens last season. Knowing you have a high-level shooter on the back end of the roster, they can use for 50 games if needed, is a massive positive.
To some, the third-to-last pick in any draft is going to be overlooked, but it shouldn’t be. Joe Dumars needs to use that No. 58 pick as a way to improve this team's margins even by a fingernail, and Tyler would do way more than improve the Pelicans three-point output by a small amount.
