A surprisingly thrilling Summer League run has finally come to an end for the New Orleans Pelicans, who were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Vegas League by the Phoenix Suns. While it would have been fun to take the League, the real benefit of Summer League is in seeing how the players perform, and whether or not anyone looks ready to contribute once the regular season rolls around. So in that spirit, here’s a quick look at the main Pelicans contributors, complete with grades and expectations.
Note: Only players who contributed 20 minutes per game or more are included.
Khem Birch
Khem Birch is a puzzling case in that he’s one of many players who made Summer League appearances for multiple teams. He also happens to be signed with a Turkish team, though general such contracts allow for players to be released should they wind up making it on an NBA roster. As for his time with the Pelicans, Birch impressed in a way that could make a spectator wonder why he’s not firmly in the league. An athletic power forward with great reach and good energy, Birch shot 64.6% from the field, averaging 9.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, along with a very impressive 3.3 blocks. He gets very physical without getting in trouble (2.2 fouls per game), and frankly, looks like an NBA player.
Grade: B+
Birch should make an NBA roster after his performance, and the Pelicans have some room for depth in the post. But if he does make a roster, it may be with another team (he played for Brooklyn in Orlando Summer League).
Seth Curry
Former Duke standout Seth Curry spent the entire Summer League turning heads and looking just about as good as his older brother Stephen – the reigning MVP. Curry put up 24.3 points per game in just 33.2 minutes per game over six contests – and he did it without relying on the three much at all. Generally, 22.2% from three might be worrisome for a guy who’s known as a shooter, but frankly NBA folks must have been thrilled to see him scoring in other ways. With the name Curry on his back, I don’t think there will be much concern about whether or not he can shoot. Beyond the scoring, Curry also impressed on the defensive end, which is presumably where he really needed to show improvement in order to make a pro roster.
Grade: A+
This was one of the rare Summer League performances that could really impact a career and a team. Backing up Eric Gordon doesn’t seem out of the question.
Bryce Dejean-Jones
Dejean-Jones is a 6’5’’ shooter who played for UNLV and Iowa State in college. The most memorable part of his Summer League performance was probably the talk about the UNLV community embracing him (after a nasty transfer to Iowa State) during the Pelicans’ stretch in Vegas – but he also made a decent impact on the court. In fact, Dejean-Jones was the Pelicans’ second leading scorer behind Seth Curry, and knocked down an impressive 9-of-18 threes and 26-of-42 shots overall. That’s a pretty lights-out performance.
Grade: B
Dejean-Jones left no doubt that he can shoot the ball, but didn’t do a great deal to distinguish himself in other ways. He’s probably not versatile enough to play much small forward, and Curry, at this point, is ahead in the prospect depth chart at shooting guard.
Larry Drew II
Larry Drew II, who played at both North Carolina and UCLA in college, had a fairly productive stint in Summer League for the Pelicans. His 7.8 assists per game were among the summer leaders, and to complement that number he only turned the ball over 2.7 times per game. He also shot respectable percentages and got a lot of court time, averaging just over 30 minutes over six starts in six games. All in all, it was solid work.
Grade: B
Larry Drew II probably did everything expected of him, if not a bit more. But watching him play, it’s tough to imagine him upholding this level against stingier competition. He’ll have a hard time defending NBA guards, and at least in New Orleans there’s really no place for him given the point guard depth.
Fuquan Edwin
Edwin had a decent run in Vegas with the Pelicans, though he probably isn’t long for the NBA. He signed a deal with a team in the Israeli league just this past weekend, despite posting a respectable scoring output throughout Summer League.
Grade: C+
Edwin held his own, and averaged double-digits in scoring, but he really didn’t do much else, and didn’t stand out on the court. That’s not good enough in Summer League.
Victor Rudd
I actually thought Victor Rudd was one of the nicer surprises of the Summer League, simply because he came out of nowhere and played pretty well. He spent last season in the D-League following a career at South Florida, but was never really viewed as much of an NBA prospect. In Summer League with the Pelicans, he posted 12.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, shooting over 48% from the field. It wasn’t a miraculous performance by any means, and it would have been nice to see more from him on defense – but Rudd played pretty well, and has a chance to become a bench player in the league in time.
Grade: B-
It was a good showing that should give him confidence for the long term, but he won’t be a Pelicans player this season.
That wraps up the main contributors for the Pelicans’ Summer League roster. It’s too early to tell, but New Orleans fans have got to hope a few of these guys – particularly Birch and Curry – wind up in uniform come the fall.
