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

By Parker Hurley

Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 25, 2015; Honolulu, HI, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) makes a layup over the Harvard Crimson during the second half at the Stan Sheriff Center. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 25, 2015; Honolulu, HI, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) makes a layup over the Harvard Crimson during the second half at the Stan Sheriff Center. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Buddy Hield

How can you not love Buddy Hield? This is a guy who improved from a raw, 23 percent three-point shooter from the Bahamas to a 45 percent three-point shooter who was considered the Steph Curry of college basketball in 2015.

Through his four years of college he improved from averaging 7 points per game, to 16 to 17 and up to 25 points per game last season in his National Player of the Year campaign.

With that, he shot into the top ten of every NBA general manager’s rankings. What you see with Hield is a guy with a passion to not just play basketball, but master basketball.

He came in as a player who is already long, and could defend and how he rounded out his game over the span of his college career shows you that while he will not be the youngest player drafted in the top ten, he still may have the most upside.

As mentioned, this team should be prepared to move on from Eric Gordon. Hield is 22, and with the combination of shooting threat and defensive abilities there is no reason he cannot replace what Gordon was going to give to this team.

Being just a few months younger than Davis these are two players who should be peaking at the right time together, and in a fast paced, shooting NBA the two fit perfectly.

There are obvious parts of Hield’s game that will need refined, what NBA prospect doesn’t have holes? But, in terms of a fit, and a player who has all of the intangibles that you are looking for there should be no better option for the Pelicans at pick number six than to take the shooting guard from Oklahoma.

For more NBA draft news, be sure to check out our NBA draft hub page.

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