Since pairing Zion Williamson with Brandon Ingram, the New Orleans Pelicans have been a team that has failed to live up to expectations for their roster for years. Since assembling their young star duo, they have continued to add talent that was expected to take the team to the next level, but they have consistently failed to clear the hurdle.
Strong supporting casts like Jonas Valanciunas, Larry Nance Jr. and Josh Hart have come and gone without affecting the Pelicans’ overall potential. Currently, the franchise has surrounded Zion and BI with an extremely encouraging supporting cast, including CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones.
And yet, despite a seemingly full roster, there is little optimism around the team. In fact, there has been more talk about a potential Ingram transfer than the Pelicans’ championship chances next season. This time, however, the team will have one legitimate roster complaint should New Orleans fail again: their lack of depth at center. At the time of writing, they have two listed centers on the active roster: German veteran Daniel Theis and Baylor rookie Yves Missi.
Daniel Theis was one of many NBA talents who could boost their profile at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Playing for Germany, which narrowly lost the bronze medal to Serbia, he averaged 7.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Most importantly, he played 22.7 minutes per game, showing he is healthy enough to return to playing strong minutes against top competition.
However, relying on 32-year-old Daniel Theis after several serious injuries is a recipe for disaster. And yet the only other center available to the Pelicans to start the season is their first-round draft pick Yves Missi.
Because of his relentless motor and physical prowess, Missi quickly shot up the top picks ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft. In a relatively weak draft, his combination of effort and athleticism made him as safe a pick as it got at 21. Even the most optimistic believers in his talent wouldn’t have expected him to be a major contributor to a playoff contender in Year 1. And yet, that’s exactly what he’ll need to be if the Pelicans want to make a splash next season.
In his first year with the Bears, Missi proved to be an impact player, on par with some of the more hyped big men drafted before him, such as Alexandre Sarr and Kel’el Ware. At Baylor, he averaged 10.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks on 61 percent shooting in just under 23 minutes per game.
The best rookies increase their performance with the NBA’s faster pace and more generous spacing. But big men often have trouble maintaining their conditioning. They also can’t stay out of foul trouble against the league’s numerous professional scorers. There’s a reason 2023-24 Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama played just 29 minutes a night.
Expecting Missi and Theis to put in 48 minutes of passable center play game after game is a tall order for New Orleans. They may have some contingency plans in place, like playing a small lineup with Zion or even Herb Jones at center, or adding a true anchor in a later Ingram trade.
Whatever the plan, the Pelicans need to make sure they don’t leave Missi out in the cold. A slow start for New Orleans due to a shaky center rotation could end their season before it even begins. Worse, putting high expectations on a 20-year-old rookie that he can’t meet could destroy his confidence and hamper his development.
