The New Orleans Pelicans are signing ex-Atlanta Hawks forward Caleb Houstan to a training camp deal.
The New Orleans Pelicans continue to bring in competition for that final roster spot, as they have now signed ex-Atlanta Hawks forward Caleb Houstan, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Houstan is in the same vein as Kobe Bufkin and Christian Koloko as a pickup. Not just that they are all former Hawks, but they will come into training camp with the hopes of impressing this new coaching staff and earning a spot on the roster (or at least a two-way deal after).
It is a little bit different for Houstan, though, as he has history with this staff. He was a second-round draft pick by the Orlando Magic in 2022, and he spent three seasons there. There clearly isn't much bad blood with how things ended, given that he signed to play for them again.
The forward was a highly-touted talent out of high school, signing with the Michigan Wolverines, where he spent one season. He was teammates with both Bufkin and Hunter Dickinson there, so there will be a bit of a Wolverines reunion in training camp.
His biggest value has always been on the offensive side of the ball, given that he doesn't have much length and is a bit lean for the position, though he does at least give effort. Still, if he were to make this roster, it would be because of his three-point shooting.
The Pelicans were one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the NBA last year, and haven't really done anything to address it. Houstan shot 40.0 on 2.8 attempts per game (64-160) in 24/25. That is the best he's done on a reasonable sample size. He did shoot 52.4% last year for Atlanta, but that was on 21 shots. Still, 11-of-21 is a phenomenal stretch.
