Pelicans Select Yves Missi No. 21 Overall at 2024 NBA Draft

New Orleans looked to bolster its rotation Wednesday night with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Mar 15, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; Baylor Bears center Yves Missi (21) drives to the basket during the second half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports / William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

After suffering a first round sweep, the New Orleans Pelicans will look to re-tool this off-season, starting with the 2024 NBA Draft.

With the No. 21 pick in-hand, the organization took a shot on Baylor's Yves Missi.

Led by Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones and more, the team will now look to get to contention status in the 2024-25 season.

A surprise one-and-done who played an interior role for the Baylor Bears last season, Missi is a 6-foot-10 high-flying big with plenty of room to grow. A late-bloomer in the basketball sphere, Missi averaged 10.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in just under 23 minutes for the Bears, signaling his upside.

Per Draft Digest’s earlier scouting report on Missi: The incoming rookie is best as a rim runner who is very mobile for his size. He’s a lob threat both in transition and in halfcourt settings and has a wide catch radius. He also gets off the ground quickly and has good hand-eye coordination when receiving passes. While Missi’s frame has continued to fill out over the past few years, that needs to continue happening as he needs to get stronger. This will help him on both ends and open things up in a big way.

All eyes now turn to 2024 NBA Summer League, which kicks off Saturday, July 6, with the California Classic. The annual summer showdown featuring all 30 teams takes place from July 12-22 in Las Vegas.

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