Pelicans Drop First Summer League Game as Star Youngster Struggles

With the NBA Summer League officially underway, the New Orleans Pelicans dropped their first game as they saw their rising star struggle.

Jan 15, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) tries to steal the ball from New Orleans Pelicans guard Jordan Hawkins (24) during the second half at the American Airlines Center / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Pelicans have some intriguing players on their Summer League team.

In the past, the organization has used this time period to evaluate the young pieces within their organization to see who could potentially be part of their roster, should stay within their G League program, and even determine who can develop a real role heading into next season.

That's happened for many of their prospects in the past who performed well enough to seriously be on the coaching staff's radar.

The headliner of the Pelicans' group this summer is Jordan Hawkins, their No. 14 overall selection in the 2023 draft out of UConn.

After a muted rookie year where he put up averages of 7.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists per contest across 67 games and 10 starts, the organization would like to see him take the next step and prove he should be part of the mix in the upcoming season.

New Orleans' opening Summer League game against the Minnesota Timberwolves was a perfect opportunity to do just that.

Unfortunately, Hawkins struggled as the Pelicans dropped the opener 81-74.

The sharpshooter was anything but that, finishing with 18 points on 6-22 shooting from the field and 2-9 from deep. Those percentage splits of 27.2 and 22.2 respectively were well below his marks of 38.2 percent from the floor and 36.6 percent from three-point range last year.

Hawkins did grab seven rebounds and had three assists, so he was able to showcase some other things besides just his offensive game, but this did not help his case when it comes to proving he's ready to take the next step.

As far as New Orleans' other intriguing prospects are concerned, they were also underwhelming.

Center Yves Missi, who they took at No. 21 in this past NBA draft, scored six points on 1-4 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds in 21 minutes of action. His one block is a bit of a concern for someone with his size, but the 7-footer out of Baylor is seen as project, so his development will take some time.

Antonio Reeves, their second-round selection out of Kentucky, is considered a candidate who might be able to play his way into some bench minutes if his prolific three-point shot translates. But it wasn't a great showing for him either as he scored nine points on 2-10 shooting from the field and 1-4 from deep.

It's still early during this competition, so these young players will have plenty of opportunities to showcase what they can do.

The Pelicans will be back in action on Sunday as they take on the Orlando Magic at 7:30 p.m. ET in a game that will be televised on NBA TV.