With no lottery pick, the New Orleans Pelicans target perimeter depth by landing a high-volume distance threat to bolster one of the league’s most inconsistent shooting units in this NBA mock draft.
The New Orleans Pelicans will have to sit on the sidelines for the 2026 NBA draft lottery on Sunday night, as the Atlanta Hawks await to see where their pick will land. While the Pelicans won't have as much fun on Sunday, they do still currently have a second-round pick.
New Orleans has had some recent success with second-round picks like Herb Jones and Karlo Matkovic. Even this current front office drafted Micah Peavy last year, and he looks very promising.
Troy Weaver is good at talent evaluation, so even having a second-rounder is intriguing. Sporting News' Stephen Noh recently put out a 2026 NBA mock draft, and in it, the Pelicans added Vanderbilt Commodores wing Tyler Nickel with the No. 58 pick.
Nickel is an experienced forward who spent a full four years in college. He started with the UNC Tar Heels, which is a good sign for his talent, but he didn't see the court much. He transferred to the Virginia Tech Hokies as a sophomore and played a bit more. He spent the last two years with the Commodores as a starter.
The 6-foot-7 wing averaged 13.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per night on 44.5/40.0/84.7 shooting splits. Having that much success from three on 7.6 attempts per night makes him an easy add to this New Orleans roster.
The Pelicans desperately need more shooters on the roster. Every team does, but New Orleans attempted the sixth-fewest threes in the NBA and had the seventh-worst three-point percentage. Nickel attempted 1.9 two-point field goals per game over his college career.