3 New Orleans Pelicans Players To Watch During 2024 NBA Preseason

Here are three New Orleans Pelicans players to keep an eye on during the team's preseason games.

Sep 30, 2024; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi (21) takes part in Pelicans Media Day. / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans will tip off their 2024 NBA preseason on Monday night at home against the Orlando Magic. It is the first of four exhibitions the team will be playing in preparation for the 2024-25 regular season.

They head on the road to play the Magic again on Friday, October 11th. After that visits to the Miami Heat and Houston Rockets on the 13th and 15th are on deck ahead of the regular season getting underway on October 23rd.

While the preseason games don’t count for much, they are a great opportunity for fans to see new players on the court for the first time and how rotations could look once the games do start to count.

Who has something to prove on the Pelicans? Here are three players to keep an eye on during the exhibition season.

Jordan Hawkins

The NBA 2K25 Summer League 2024 was a disaster for the 2023 first-round pick out of UConn. Wanting to see how he handled more responsibility as a ball-handler at the point guard position, the results were abysmal.

That kind of role isn’t something that Hawkins is ready for yet. But, he is someone that Willie Green will be relying on early in the season because of the injury Trey Murphy suffered last week at practice.

If he can provide the 3-point shooting everyone knows he is capable of, with solid team defense, he will a positive asset for the team and cement his status as a rotation player when everyone is healthy.

Yves Missi

There is a gaping hole at the center position in the New Orleans lineup. Rumors have swirled that they are looking to upgrade via trade. If nothing comes to fruition, their first-round pick in th 2024 NBA Draft could get a shot at consistent playing time.

Missi, who played one season collegiately at Baylor, is a raw prospect in some regards. His offensive game isn’t very polished, but he can make an immediate impact with his interior presence as a rim protector and rebounder.

Offensively, he would present the team with a potentially elite above-the-rim player. Spacing could get troublesome if he shares the court with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, but a strong preseason from the rookie would quiet some of the concerns in the middle.

Dejounte Murray

The team’s biggest offseason addition came over from the Atlanta Hawks in a blockbuster trade. On paper, their new floor general looks to be a great fit on both ends of the court.

Late-game struggles on offense should dissipate with the playmaking ability of Murray. An improved 3-point shooter, he can operate off the ball as well when other players have the ball in their hands.

Defensively, he is going to be a menace playing alongside the likes of Murphy, Herbert Jones, Jose Alvarado and Javonte Green. All of them create havoc in the passing lanes and can get the job done in one-on-one situations, providing Green with another weapon to deploy on the perimeter.