The New Orleans Pelicans have decided on their second-round pick, Jaron Pierre Jr., and it's a two-way deal.
The New Orleans Pelicans have finally decided on what to do with their second-round pick, as they signed Jaron Pierre Jr. to a two-way deal on Wednesday, per Marc Stein of the Stein Line.
The Pelicans still have an open spot on their roster for opening night, potentially with more coming down the road if they can pull off a trade. Pierre was an option, but it felt like they were going in a different direction once it came out that they were in the market for Ziaire Williams.
Pierre is a talented scorer, but it's clear that he could still use some time to smooth out the edge of his game in the G League. He put up 11.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists on poor efficiency. His best game saw him post 16 points on 5-of-17 from the field.
That's the type of player that he was in college. He's a high-flying rim rocker who can also pull up from deep range at any given moment. There is value in that in the NBA, even in this team that said it's trying to get the defensive side of the ball figured out first.
His best collegiate season saw him put up 21.6 points on 42.4% from the field. He shot 38.2% from three on 7.6 attempts per night that season, a great sign for what he could become for New Orleans. He'll have to develop on defense, but he should at least bring the necessary effort.
