The 2023 NBA Draft officially came and went.

The New Orleans Pelicans entered the 2023 draft with the need for a high-quality backup at the one or the two. Guards Dyson Daniels, Kira Lewis Jr. and Jose Alvarado will all be under contract for the Pelicans next season, according to sports contract and salary website Spotrac. Alvarado will be on a non-guaranteed deal that will become fully guaranteed on January 10. Guards C.J. McCollum and Garrett Temple can return for New Orleans in the 2023-24 season, but Temple will be under a non-guaranteed deal that will become fully guaranteed on June 30.

New Orleans wouldn't be able to address every one of its most glaring needs with one pick, but it could at least find a player who can play an important role off the bench behind McCollum.

Who did the Pelicans take with their selections in the 2023 NBA Draft? How can he fit in with a New Orleans roster looking to make its way back to the NBA playoffs?

Jordan Hawkins

Hawkins, a 6-foot-5-inch guard from UConn, was taken by the Pelicans with the No. 14 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

A former four-star recruit from Gaithersburg, Md., Hawkins chose the Huskies over offers from Clemson, Louisville, Marquette, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall and Xavier, among others, according to 247Sports. He joined a 2021 UConn recruiting class that took seventh place in the nation and three other four-star enrollees.

Hawkins spent two years with the Huskies, gaining averages of 11.8 points, three rebounds and one assist per contest in 64 games played and 41 starts. He took second place on the roster with 16.2 points per game last season, only taking a spot behind center Adama Sanogo. He scored 16 points and grabbed four rebounds when UConn prevailed in the NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship with a 76-59 win over the San Diego State Aztecs in early April.

Hawkins shared an emotional moment with his mom after UConn won the National Championship.

“Immortality man, that's what it feels like,” Hawkins said, via an April tweet from CBS Sports College Basketball. “We did it.”

A few months later, he would hear his name called in the Barclays Center.

Hawkins credited his parents after he was taken by New Orleans in the draft.

“A lot of hard work. These two sacrificed everything for me, and just for them to see me get my name called, it's a true blessing. I don't know how to feel,” Hawkins said. “This has been by far the best year of my life. I'm about to play in the NBA, that's crazy, not many people get to say that. I'm blessed, I'm blessed.”

Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon highlighted Hawkins' versatility as a shooter during a post-draft media availability.

“It creates another source of offense,” Langdon said of Hawkins, via NBA.com. “We don’t have anybody like that (with) his shot variety. His shot profile is as unique as you can find in college basketball. Whether it’s transition, coming off ball screens, coming off staggered (screens), flare screens, anything you can think of, he can do it. The speed at which he comes off that opens up a lot of other things (for teammates).”

Hawkins can be a reliable shooter for a Pelicans team that shot 36.9% from 20-24 feet and 36.4% from 25-29 feet during the 2022-23 regular season, putting them at 21st and 11th in the league.