New Orleans Pelicans Assign Two Young Aspiring Players To G League

Two of the youngest players on the Pelicans are heading to Birmingham to get some extra playing time.

Oct 23, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Karlo Matkovic (17) looks on against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at Smoothie King Center. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

On Monday, the New Orleans Pelicans announced that guard Antonio Reeves and forward Karlo Matkovic are being assigned to the G League Birmingham Squadron. Reeves appeared in two games this season but did not score and recorded just one rebound. The former Kentucky standout played in all three preseason games for the Pelicans.

A far different story exists for Matkovic, who appeared for only eight minutes in the team's preseason opener and then appeared in New Orleans' last regular season game, a blowout loss to the Blazers on Sunday. Many fans thought the former second-round pick could crack the rotation more, given the team's limited size in the middle.

The Croatian forward had his best Summer League in July for the Pelicans. In the four games played in Las Vegas, Matkovic averaged 10.8 points and 4.2 rebounds during the tournament. This was the third straight year the former second-round pick played for New Orleans on their Summer League team. His assignment to the Squadron signals early-season dominance by another young center on the team.

Pelicans rookie Yves Missi looks to have solidified a critical big-man rotation spot with his stellar play to open the season. New Orleans' first-round pick in this year's draft averages 8.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and a team-high 2.3 blocks per game. The knock on the rookie was his propensity to pick up fouls, but so far, he's kept that under control to start the year.

Through the first three games of the year, New Orleans is averaging 32.7 three-point attempts per contest, which ranks No. 23rd in the league. The Pelicans preached all offseason that the new small and fast offense would yield more attempts from beyond the arc. New Orleans targeted 40 attempts per game but has yet to reach that number in any game this year.

Reeves figured to be a part of helping the Pelicans reach that number. In college, the former second-round pick shot 44% from beyond the arc in his final season at Kentucky. With Trey Murphy III sidelined with a hamstring injury and Dejounte Murray out multiple weeks with a fractured left hand, players like CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, and Jordan Hawkins must attempt more three-point shots until the team gets healthy.

New Orleans' first chance to do that is on Tuesday on the road against the Golden State Warriors. The Pelicans suffered their first loss of the year versus the Trail Blazers after starting the season 2-0 for the third straight year.