How did the New Orleans Pelicans fare in the 2023 NBA Draft?

New Orleans entered Thursday's draft with the No. 14 selection after ending the 2022-23 season with a record of 42-40. It took second place in the Southwest Division and ninth in the Western Conference. The Toronto Raptors, Oklahoma City Thunder and Orlando Magic took spots ahead of them in the draft.

The Pelicans needed to address their need for a high-quality backup point guard to play alongside some of the team's biggest returning names as they entered the draft. The NBA's consensus mock draft had the Pelicans selecting Indiana guard Jalen Hood-Schifino or UConn guard Jordan Hawkins at No. 14. The Pelicans would end up taking Hawkins at No. 14, while Hood-Schifino fell to the Los Angeles Lakers three picks down.

What grade should the team's selection at No. 14 receive? Did they make the right choice with their lottery pick?

14, Jordan Hawkins Grade: B

An emotional ending at the NCAA Men's National Championship led to an emotional beginning to Hawkins's NBA career.

Hawkins celebrated with his mother after the UConn Huskies defeated San Diego State in April. The two-year Huskies guard scored 16 points in the title game, hitting five of his nine shots as UConn took a 76-59 victory over Aztecs.

Just a few months later, Hawkins credited his parents and followed his selection at No. 14.

“A lot of hard work,” Hawkins said. “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. 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.”

Hawkins, a former 4-star recruit from Gaithersburg, Md., played in 60 games and started in 37 during his two years with Connecticut. He saw his averages explode between his first and second seasons with the Huskies, improving his scoring from 5.8 to 16.3 points per game. His percentage from the field improved to 35.3% during his freshman year to 41% as a sophomore.

The 6-foot-5-inch guard hit 38.8% of his 3-point attempts last season, making him a fantastic fit for a Pelicans team that hit 36.4% of its 3-point shots, putting it at 15th in the NBA.

“He definitely understands who he is,”  Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin said, via NBA.com. “He takes pride in what gets him on the court and understands what his game really is.

“The winning nature of his background and the way he approaches the game really fits well with us. Overall, a really good night for us.”

Hawkins would fit well in a team that could use solid shooting guard depth behind guard C.J. McCollum. Guard Garrett Temple was listed on Spotrac's 2023-24 salary cap grid for the Pelicans. He will be on a non-guaranteed deal that will become fully guaranteed on June 30. Temple averaged 6.5 minutes per game in the 25 games he played last season.

The Pelicans' bench averaged 31.8 points per game last season, putting them at 23rd in the league behind the Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics.

“It creates another source of offense,” Pelicans General Manager Trajan Langdon said of Hawkins’ versatility as a shooter, 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).”

Though they will still need to find a more solidified option at the one, having a player of Hawkins' talent would add a solid amount of depth at the two before the start of free agency.