Subscribe
Follow Us
The New Orleans Pelicans are adding to their roster late in the offseason, and it's forward depth that could help the team, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
“Free agent forward Jalen McDaniels has agreed to a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, sources tell ESPN. McDaniels has averaged 6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds over six NBA seasons,” Charania wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
McDaniels is the older brother of Jaden McDaniels, who is currently with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jalen was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, as he enters his seventh season in the league. He played with the Hornets for three seasons, and then was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in his fourth year.
Last season, he signed a 10-day contract with the Washington Wizards.
The Pelicans have much-needed size on their roster, and McDaniels adds to that. He can defend and also knock down 3-pointers, and he can be a good player off the bench. This will be an interesting season for the Pelicans, as they have some new pieces on the team. The success of the team will hinge on what Zion Williamson is able to do, and if he can stay healthy.
Pelicans still believe in Zion Williamson
With the talent the Pelicans added to the team, the hope is that it's enough for them to be better than they were last season. Another thing that the Pelicans are banking on is Williamson being healthy, and he could be the player who makes the biggest difference for them.
There were trade rumors surrounding Williamson during the offseason, but a Pelicans executive shared that they still believe in him.
“Zion is still our guy,” the executive said. “If he wasn’t, we could have waived him for like nothing on the books. We could have reset everything. But we believe in Zion. He wants to make it work, and so do we. This partnership hasn’t even come close to reaching our best yet.”
When Williamson is healthy, he's one of the best young players in the league. He only played 30 games last season, but he averaged 24.67 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. If the Pelicans can get that type of production from him for 70+ games, they could exceed the expectations that many have put on them for the upcoming season.
