NBA Draft: 5 players the New Orleans Pelicans need to target

5. Jamal Murray

The reason that Murray would be fifth on this list for the Pelicans is because of any player outside of Bender, Simmons, and Ingram, he should be the one off of the board by pick number six.

Murray has extreme upside, and plays a position that is a bit watered down. Aside from some of the top dogs in the game like Klay Thompson, James Harden and the emerging CJ McCollum, the shooting guard position does not have much star power at the moment. Murray is only 19, leaving Kentucky after his freshman year, but in his freshman year he flashed amazing upside and promise.

He is a combo guard who averaged 20 points per game for Big Blue Nation last year, and some may argue he is not only the top two guard, he is the top point guard prospect in the draft.

Eric Gordon is a free agent this year, and honestly at this point, what do you expect from Eric Gordon? Even if he is to be retained, Murray at this stage has the clear advantage in upside and is a perfect ball handling guard to play beside Anthony Davis. His scoring abilities should also free up Davis, and at worst as a rookie, he is a guy who can lead the second unit and be a scoring threat immediately. You could argue a Murray-Davis duo has as bright, if not a brighter future than Karl Anthony-Towns and Andrew Wiggins in Minnesota, and the Pelicans would be ecstatic if Murray were to fall to them.

Next: 4. Jaylen Brown