With NBA Free Agency underway, it’s important to note that we are only just over a week away from the return of basketball, as summer league hoops will be underway soon enough. Last summer league was a disaster for the New Orleans Pelicans, as they finished 0-5 and saw all three of Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen, and Yves Missi struggle immensely. While it’s unclear if the Pelicans will see better results this summer, fans are starting to get clarity on what the New Orleans roster will look like.
To this point, eight players have been named to the roster: Utah’s Drake Allen, Cal’s Chris Bell, Kansas’ Melvin Council, Cal Baptist's Dominique Daniels, Missouri’s Shawn Phillips, East Carolina’s Jordan Riley, Maryland’s Solomon Washington, and second-round pick Jaron Pierre Jr.
The Pelicans' social team confirmed what many of us assumed when he was hired: God Shammgod will be leading this squad in Las Vegas. Shammgod has been an excellent player development coach since he arrived on the coaching scene, working with Providence, the Dallas Mavericks, and most recently, the Orlando Magic. Last season, he was a crucial part of Magic wing Anthony Black breaking out into the player Orlando thought he could be when they drafted him at No. 6 in 2023.
His ability to mold young talent will be crucial for this Pelicans group in Vegas as they look to grow and the front office searches for potential two-way contract talent.
The Pelicans are thin in the middle
To this point, it’s unknown if the team's three rookies from last season, Queen, Fears, and Micah Peavy, will be asked to play this summer. All three members of the Pels 2025 class were really strong in their rookie campaign, and with Fears playing 82 games and Queen playing 81, they aren’t lacking reps. Peavy may be the odd man out, as he saw only 913 minutes all season and could use some more reps. But it would shock me if we saw Queen and Fears play two or more games, if at all.
If Queen isn’t playing in Vegas, Joe Dumars and the front office will have to use the remaining roster space to fill out the forward and frontcourt spots, as New Orleans is very thin there. Outside of Washington and Philips, they have no other frontcourt players, and when the competition level is lower, the need for height and size matters so much more.
There isn’t bound to be as much excitement surrounding this summer’s Pelicans team as last year, because they don't have two lottery picks on the roster. However, this group has a ton of hungry competitors who will be giving it their all to earn one of New Orleans three open two-way spots.
With the Pelicans' roster still taking shape, the hype builds for this group's opening game on Sunday, July 9, against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
