New Orleans Pelicans Potential Star Named Top Summer League Prospect to Watch

As the New Orleans Pelicans get ready for their Summer League team to take the court, one of their youngsters has been named one of the top prospects to watch.

Nov 25, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Jordan Hawkins (24) makes a break away dunk against the Utah Jazz during the second half at Delta Center / Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Pelicans officially have put together a team who will be representing their franchise for 10 days from July 12-22 at the 2024 NBA Summer League.

Summer League is an opportunity for NBA organizations to give their young players an opportunity to play against other top players in a competitive environment that is nationally televised and has turned into a real event in Las Vegas.

It's also an opportunity for veteran players, and those who are fringe roster guys, to make a case they should be considered when it comes time to figure out who will be on the team.

In the past, Pelicans players have played their way onto the team and earned greater roles because of their performance during this event.

Herb Jones and Naji Marshall were the story in 2021, Trey Murphy III was the guy the following year, and last summer it was Dyson Daniels who was able to showcase his talent, ultimately allowing New Orleans to flip him for Dejounte Murray.

Jones and Murphy were able to use their time on the court to prove to the coaching staff and front office they should be part of the roster and get real minutes during the regular season.

Jordan Hawkins is hoping to do the same this summer.

Taken with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 draft, the UConn product developed a bit of a role his rookie season when he started 10 games and appeared in 67. He finished with averages of 7.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.3 steals per game with a 38.2 percent shooting clip from the floor and 36.6 from three-point range.

Like expected, his playing time started to wane a bit towards the end of the year, but the sharpshooter was still able to show that his future is bright on this team.

A great performance during this competition should help him become a role player during the upcoming season, and that's why Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report ranked him No. 25 on his Top 30 list of prospects to watch during this NBA Summer League.

"His game should play up in this environment. He can lace it from long range, and he has enough shake to snake around closeouts. He just needs to show he can consistently do all of the above and play non-atrocious defense," he writes.

In this environment, Hawkins has to show that he can take that next step and dominate against the competition like Murphy, Marshall and Jones did before him.