Swin Cash Weighs In On Young Pelicans

Pelicans executive Swin Cash weighs in on the young players at the 2K24 Summer League.

Swin Cash knows basketball. New Orleans' vice president of basketball operations and team development was on the sidelines watching her Pelicans defeat the Hornets 89-83 in their 2K24 Summer League finale.  Cash spoke to ESPN's Cassidy Hubbarth about her expectations for the Summer League roster of young players.

"Just trying for our young guys to get an opportunity," Cash said. "To see some of our draft picks, obviously, and see how they're going to play out here.  You don't get as many minutes when you are with the varsity, but to see them start getting a rhythm and what they've been working on throughout the season. I'm really excited to be here."

Hubbarth asked Cash for her perspective on "how to deal with the pressure when they're coming in as high draft picks."  The Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer responded, "Don't think about the pressure.  Just go out there. Understand you're going to make mistakes.  And you learned through the mistakes, through the failure.  And so we're trying to encourage them to be aggressive.  When you're aggressive, good things will happen."

July 13, 2023; New Orleans Pelicans vice president, basketball operations and team development Swin Cash talks about the Pelicans young players at 2023 NBA Summer League during the Pelicans' game against the Charlotte Hornets.  Credit: NBA

Of course, many awaited the performance of the Pelicans' 2023 NBA Draft's first-round draft pick Jordan Hawkins.  His first four games had quite a few bumps and bruises — and he lost a tooth.  It was an uneven output for the former UConn star, who averaged 27.7 minutes, 12 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.3 steals for New Orleans.  He was aggressive and averaged a team-high 13.8 field-goal attempts.   However, he also led the team with 4.0 turnovers per contest.  

Yet, as Larry Nance Jr said earlier in the week of Hawkins':  "It's been great. Obviously, shooting is at a premium in the NBA so you know him hitting at such a high clip is something we need desperately.  It's just been great to watch his play."  Nance added, "We need it.  We got we only got one or two guys that really let it fly.  So I'm just excited to see him keep shining."

Dereon Seabron made the most of his outings, leading the team with 16.8 PPG, 10 APG, and 7.0 RPG.  Dyson Daniels was impressive at the point guard position averaging 29.9 minutes, 15.3 points, 6.0 assists, and 2.3 steals.  He routinely attacked the rim and played excellent defense while serving as the team's floor general throughout the Summer League action.   

Other notable performances were from E.J. Liddell (9.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG), Frank Bartley IV (8.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 57.1% 3-PT), Tevian Jones (7 PPG), Garrison Brooks (7.3 PPG), and Karlo Matkovic (7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.3 BPG).  Head coach Willie Green faces several difficult personnel decisions after training camp with the league expanding to three two-way players in 2023-24.   Matkovic must develop offensively, but he will press the veterans for a spot.  Liddell and Seabron will make the thing interesting as well.  The question lingers, is there a place for former first-round pick Kira Lewis on the Pelicans roster?  

We shall see.