When the New Orleans Pelicans open Summer League play Thursday, all eyes will be on Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen.
Rightfully so.
The Pelicans used their two first round draft picks on the University of Oklahoma guard and the University of Maryland forward.
But who else should Pelicans’ fans keep an eye on over the next week in Las Vegas?
Here are six other players to watch.
1.Yves Missi: The Pelicans’ first round draft pick in 2024 doesn’t have a lot to prove after making the second-team All-Rookie team this past season. He’s added weight and gotten stronger since the season ended. “But the main thing that’s helping Yves right now is his confidence,” said Pels’ Summer League coach Corey Brewer.
2. Micah Peavy: Taken in the second round out of Georgetown, the 6-foot-6 forward prides himself on playing defense. “A lot of guys don’t like playing defense,” Peavy said. “I love it. I don’t like being scored on. I don’t like the other team getting buckets.” Peavy, who turns 24 next week, can do it on the other end as well. He shot 40 % on 3-pointers this past season.
3. Trey Alexander: The 6-foot-4 guard was G League Rookie of the Year this past season. He averaged 26.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.5 steals for the Grand Rapids Gold, the Denver Nuggets’ G League affiliate. “I want to showcase that I can score, because I feel like that’s what I do best,” Alexander said. “But also I want to be able to play make. Show that I can play the 1 and the 2.”
4. Hunter Dickinson: You may not find a player on the Pels’ Summer League roster with a bigger chip on his shoulder than Hunter Dickinson. The 7-foot-2 center from Kansas went undrafted, despite being a third-team All-American. The Pels signed him to a 2-way contract. “I knew once I got here, I had a shot and that’s all I was looking for was a shot to prove myself,” Dickinson said.
5. Antonio Reeves: In a somewhat surprising move, the Pelicans waived Reeves last week. But they kept him on the Summer League roster, which will give him a chance to showcase some of what he showed towards the end of last season. Reeves, drafted in the second round by the Pelicans in 2024, averaged 15.4 points over the last 10 games of his rookie season and shot 39.5 % on 3-pointers.
6.Christian Shumate: The 6-foot-6 forward from McNeese State was one of the best dunkers in all of college basketball. But he’s more than that, as he’s shown in practice this week. He’s been knocking down shots, showing a side of his game that he didn’t really get to show at McNeese. “I’ve been working on my shot a lot, so I can pretty much be a '3 and D' guy,” Shumate said. He plays with a non-stop motor, something that bodes well for guys trying to latch on to an NBA.