The 2-Ways To Our Hearts
Recent History
If I was born yesterday with no knowledge of anything Pelicans but understood basketball and fandom I would think that the general attention that Jose Alvarado and Naji Marshall receive on social media would make them at a minimum, starters. While this may not be the case, they both certainly found ways to etch their names in the minds of Pelican fans everywhere off of undrafted, 2-way deals. Naji Marshall has a certain short-term memory that helps him remain in the belief that he is the best basketball player on the court and really shine when you need someone who will get to the rim no matter how he has to throw his body around. Jose Alvarado on the other hand has made Brandon Ingram smile more, "GTA'd" Chris Paul, and put the entire league in his fan club that no one but a few knew existed prior to the 2021 NBA season. They both followed the same path, play defense, play hard, and not take no for an answer. That leads me to my point of who, if anyone, will put their name on the list of undrafted 2-way into local favorite in less than a year? Your guess is as good as mine, but he better have some dog in him.
Daeqwon Plowden
Plowden's stat line does not quite compare to what you saw if you watched the games he definitely displayed a lot of what the Pelicans coaching staff looks for. His chances look great since he is already under what is called an Exhibit 10 deal which is equivalent to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal at league minimum with an Exhibit 10 attachment built in. This means a lot and a little at the same time. For one, it is pretty much a guaranteed invite to the training camp which gives him a leg up. It also means he will most likely wind up on our G-League affiliate the Birmingham Squadron since he gets a bonus of 50k plus his G-League salary if he decides to play for our affiliate and our affiliate only. The contract cannot be converted straight into a NBA contract, but it can be converted into a 2-way deal which can later be converted, but I foresee him having the best odds at winding up next to Seabron as the second 2-way deal. It also may be worth noting, only averaging 12ppg in SL, he did post 60/50/90 shooting %.
John Petty Jr.
John Petty Jr. reminded me a lot of Naji. One game you are like "wow play this guy!" the next you are wondering what he is thinking, just Petty makes me question him a little less. The great thing about Petty is that when he isn't shooting well, he can do other things and plays aggressive similar to Naji as well. He seemed to find the ball well for rebounding purposes tallying 7 and in general just played with a calm intentional pace that made me think he has a legit shot at making the 2-way deal. If you have read my recaps for the Summer League games I have mentioned that Petty was also a teammate of both Herb Jones and Kira Lewis Jr. so what the coaches know about him may go past the gym which could help or hurt his chances. At this point, Petty has floated around the Pelicans dating back to October of 2021, so the coaching staff clearly sees something in him that they want to see more of. If he can found a way to stand out since his scoring was not all there and do that well, he may have a shot.
John Butler
While not my choice after 4 games, his 5th one really put a few folks on notice. During the game they had stat analyst trying to figure out if he was breaking any records going a perfect 9/9 from the field and 6/6 from the 3. His only problem was seemingly he did not get a chance to play more early on. I want to believe he really is just a 7 footer with a guard skill set that can shoot lights out, but the fact that his best performance came on a game that most teams were giving hopefuls run makes me hesitant, yet hopeful. In a world where we found out Jaxson Hayes is a better 4 compared to 5, I am hoping the coaching staff gives Butler a good long look purely because you just don't see that height, paired with that agility very often. Even if the Pelicans let him walk, I can nearly guarantee that another team will scoop him up. The Plowden deal gives him incentive to join the Squadron, I hope at a minimum the Pelicans offer the same thing to Butler and see what he can do against fringe NBA players night after night.
Honorable Mentions
While I personally believe the Pelicans may be moving on from Jared Harper with the return of Kira Lewis Jr. and Dyson Daniels drafting it is still worth mentioning he had a hell of a season and for familiarity sake the Pelicans may stick with him. Tyrique Jones also had a great showing not being afraid as an undersized 5 showing some dog that I am sure got at least one member of the coaching staff interested, but I am just not sure where he would fit outside of garbage time minutes or our Birmingham Squadron team. Sirvydis also had a decent showing when he was the primary ball handler and could control the flow, his shooting was impressive and showed no fear. I wouldn't be shocked if the Pelicans extended him a Exhibit 10 deal but that would purely be to ensure he winds up with the Squadron. The Summer League has grown on me a lot, and I think Jose and Naji had a lot to do with that. I want to know who is next before they get there even if I am the only one who believes it. The new staff also seems to just have an eye for talent that is worth developing as well, so I will be certainly tuning in for more Pelicans Summer League games and even have my eyes on joining the Pels 12 in Vegas one year soon.
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