The New Orleans Pelicans stood pat in the 2024 NBA draft and filled one of their biggest needs in the form of Baylor center Yves Missi.
The 6-11, 229-pounder profiles to be a high-end rim protector, something the Pelicans were in severe need of in this year's draft. The 20-year old native of Cameroon averaged 10.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks during his lone collegiate season, with some development likely needed before he can stand out at the NBA level.
Missi joins an intriguing young group of Pelicans draft picks that includes 2019 No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson, 2021 No. 17 pick Trey Murphy and No. 35 pick Herb Jones, 2022 No. 8 overall pick Dyson Daniels and 2023 No. 14 overall pick Jordan Hawkins.
New Pelicans GM Bryson Graham pointed to the progression from Missi from the first time he saw him at Baylor throughout the season, culminating in what Pelicans EVP David Griffin described as an eye-opening workout at the team facility. The Pelicans brass noted that Missi initially expected to redshirt in his freshman season before quickly earning a key role at Baylor.
Missi's traits have been compared to that of Hawks center Clint Capela -- the No. 25 pick in 2014 -- another athletic marvel who came into the NBA as a developmental prospect.
"What’s exciting about Yves is we feel the likelihood that he reaches his ceiling is better than a lot of [other prospects] because of what he’s shown already for his propensity to get better quickly," Griffin said, "but the things that he did in our building here physically and athletically we’ve never had a player of his size do anything remotely like, so it’s exciting for us.”
Missi's best collegiate game was likely a December showdown with Duke when he put in 11 points to go with 10 rebounds and 5 blocks as he battled another NBA prospect in Kyle Filipowski. His brother, Steve, was a three-time All Ivy League player at Harvard.
"He picks up things really, really quickly," Graham said, "and so his intelligence and his just raw natural ability, it’s exciting and we’re just happy he was there at 21.”
The first round of a draft class that many have classified as one of the weaker in recent memory got started with a pair of frenchmen in Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks) and Alex Sarr (Wizards), marking a few firsts. It was the first time international players went 1-2 in the draft, and it also marked the first time a player that did not attend an NCAA college went No. 1 overall in back-to-back drafts, along with Victory Wembenyama to the Spurs last year.
UConn and Kentucky also saw multiple players go in the top 10, with Reed Sheppard landing at No. 3 to the Rockets, Stephon Castle at No. 4 to the Spurs, Donovan Clingan at No. 7 to the Blazers and Rob Dillingham at No. 8 to the Spurs, with the pick traded to the Timberwolves. Two-time NCAA player of the year Zach Edey went to the Grizzlies at No. 9.
New Orleans has several questions remaining to answer this offseason, most notably either an extension or trade for star forward Brandon Ingram. The Pelicans own no second round picks, but that could change if the right deal emerges on Day 2 of the draft -- the first time the NBA has stretched the even over a second day.
"The draft was deeper than it was top-heavy and people saw this as kind of a flat draft," Griffin said. "There are several people left on the board that we’re intrigued by, so it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility that we do that.”
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