With less than two months to go until the start of the NBA season, The New Orleans Pelicans are organizing a volunteer minicamp in California. Will Guillory of The Athletic All players are reportedly present, with the exception of center Daniel Theis. The German-born veteran played for his local Olympic team this summer at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The Pelicans also held a player camp in 2022, with forward Brandon Ingram leading the effort to bring the team together. Ingram told the Pelicans on SI’s Terry Kimble during Media Day this season where coming together can create a pleasant bond and chemistry.
“It’s always fun to play basketball with the guys you’re going to battle with,” Ingram said. “It’s important to check in with guys to make sure nobody gets out of hand and see how we wanted to do things this year.”
New Orleans lost a lot of core players from last season, so there will be new faces at various positions on the team. Jonas Valanciunas, Larry Nance, Jr., Cody Zeller, Naji Marshall and Dyson Daniels will all be joining new teams. Dejounte Murray, Daniel Theis, rookies Yves Missi and Antonio Reeves, and veteran Javonte Green are the newcomers to a Pelicans team looking to avoid a repeat of the playoff disappointment.
The team was eliminated in the first round for the second time in three years, with much of what this team looks like as a complete unit still a mystery. New Orleans star forward Zion Williamson injured his hamstring in a playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers, missing the playoffs again.
Williamson hasn’t played a single playoff game in his five-year career. The Pelicans will never reach their full potential until their best player makes the playoffs.
New Orleans also doesn’t have a starting-caliber center on its roster. Losing that much frontcourt depth this summer will force the Pelicans to play a little smaller next year. Williamson played less than 10 percent of the year at center, but there’s a good chance those numbers will increase out of necessity.
Theis is a big, small player at just 6’4” and the Pelicans’ starting center, Yves Missi, has only played three years of organized basketball. The center position will be a committee group this year and getting the team together early for practice and camaraderie could be beneficial. So could getting a player like Dejounte Murray into the lineup.
Murray is an All-Star caliber point guard with a unique skill set on offense and defense. His arrival will be interesting to see who gets playing time in crucial moments among the Pelicans’ vast roster of talent. New Orleans coach Willie Green needs to steer the team away from the bad habits exposed in last season’s close games. Summer camp will be a positive step toward solidifying the team’s unity for the upcoming season.
