This has HUGE implications on the Pelicans future…

This has HUGE implications on the Pelicans future…

As the Pelicans get ready for summer league tomorrow, one move that they made has some huge implications on the Pelicans future, potentially reshaping their core and signaling a shift in how the front office plans to compete in the West. We’re going to take a look at some of the players on the summer league roster and give you some updates inside this edition of Pelicas Digest. What’s good with it everybody? It’s your people of the MIC. Thank you so much once again for rocking with us inside Pelicas Digest and don’t forget, hit that subscribe button, baby. You know how we do, baby. We give you the best analysis and also opinions about the Pelicans right here on Pelicans Digest. So, hit that subscribe button, baby. We really do appreciate you and thank you if you already subscribe. Appreciate you for rocking with us, man. And let’s go ahead and get into some conversations about Summer League and a couple of players that I find kind of fascinating uh that’s going to be playing in summer league uh starting tomorrow. But first, want to give you a quick update on the situation involving Kavon Looney, who showed up to New Orleans dressed like Rick James. Got the Rick James hairstyle. Give it to me, baby. I ain’t even mad at him for that. I don’t know what he on, but this man this man clearly say he trying to start a new beginning in New Orleans with the Rick James hairstyle. I ain’t mad at it. Taking it back to the early 80s, man, with some pump funk. Anyway, that’s that’s your hair there. Uh, interesting thing that we’ve learned about the Kevon Looney contract that he signed. of course, you know, he’s uh the Pelicans uh loan free agent that they signed and uh they signed him to a 2-year $8 million uh $16 million deal uh with the Pelicans. But we just found out something interesting that could give us some idea and some shape into how the Pelicans are planning to move into the future. and that uh what we found out was that the Pelicans have included a secondyear team option included in the two-year $16 million deal with Kevon Looney, league sources told Hoops Hype according to Michael Scorto uh via uh X. And I think that’s fascinating. I think uh I think that’s very telling on a couple of things. Number one, it shows that this team has put their trust in Eve Missy. I’ve said this in a video before. Uh, I I believe Eve Missy is this team’s primary rim defender. Uh, and a lot of people keep saying, “Well, y’all need to y’all need to fill in that hole at rim defense and stuff like that.” And I I made the argument that Eve Missy is that guy. But you bring in the Kevlon Looney to show up and give him some experience and also bring you some championship DNA. He’s a veteran, 10ear veteran of the league and still under the age of 30, still younger than most of these guys that are out there. So, you bring in a Kavon Looney to help get uh Missy uh together and get him right and also coach up Queen and other players as well. So, uh when you see that he has a secondyear option, that means the Pelicans have complete trust in Missy and if things don’t work out with Looney, you can move off of this contract. It won’t be something that’s hanging over your head. So, I again startling development in that giving this man a two-year with a team option. So, which means the team can get out of this deal if they don’t feel like Looney’s doing the job. So that should make you feel pretty good as a Ps fan that you know you’re not tied to Looney. If you didn’t like Looney, you can see that he’s not tied to this team forever and and it’s not on a very on is not on a bad contract. So I I I found that very interesting uh that they put him on put a team option in there for the second year. Also tells me that they have some some trust in in the situation that they have with Eve Missy and uh the rest of the roster. Now, uh, as we get into summer league as it kicks off tomorrow, uh, there’s going to be some, we’ve already discussed that there’s going to be a lot of interesting battles for the guard position. Another position that I think a lot of people are going to be taking a look at, especially the Pelicans, is the forward and the centers positions or guys that can alternate between the two. Uh there’s two Louisiana born players, well not Louisiana born, but Louisiana kids who who uh went to school in Louisiana uh that on the roster and that’s going to be competing for a spot at summer league. And the first one is going to be uh Will Baker out of LSU. Now Will Baker is a seven-footer. A lot a lot of us been saying we need some more some more bigs around there. Now he’s going to be in a battle with Hunter Dickinson uh to get on this roster. Even though I don’t see I I don’t know if I see him making the roster. I I really don’t. But let’s go ahead and take a look at some information about uh Baker. He’s a sevenfooter. He played 27 games for the Iowa Wolves in the GLeague last season. And he averaged 4.4 points a game and two rebounds in limited playing time. Uh, so I think the Pels are giving this guy a look as sort of like, you know, some some ways to help get the Louisiana audience involved in summer league and watching to see what, especially LSU fans. Uh, but I don’t know if he’s going to make the team because his numbers, I I I wasn’t really impressed with his numbers. He’s just another big body. I think from what I’ve read, he has a little bit more uh defensive uh uh stance than he does any kind of offense. So, I think auditioning him is a good look, but I don’t see Will making this roster, unfortunately. I I just don’t see it. But there is another uh Louisiana college player that has been grabbing a lot of attention, has been getting a lot of attention from all of us, especially in the Pel’s fan base and also amongst the coaching, including coach Cory Brewer, who said that this guy is uh has been out here working his butt off and been getting up shots and been getting it in. has been pretty much busy in summer league and impressing a lot of folks. And that’s Christian Shumati from uh Schumat from uh Shumat, how you say his name? Shumati. Shum Shumat, the kid from MCN State. Okay, Christian uh Christian uh led Mc was one of the leaders on this MCN State team that took him into the NCAA tournament. And one of the things that uh I remember Joe Dumar saying in his press conference about players that he’s looking for is players that can affect winning. and he’s really focused on a lot of guys who were important factors on their team uh especially in college and Schumat was one of those uh players uh a lot and if you talk to the folks out there in Lake Charles they love this kid and at 66 playing the four position uh his numbers are okay his numbers are okay let’s take a look at him real quick uh Schumat helped to propel Mcnes to his second consecutive south uh Southland conference tournament championship ship as well as his second consecutive NCAA tournament appearance and first ever tournament win. He averaged 12 points and over eight rebounds and ranks third all time in rebounds and 11th in all time scoring uh over there at MC. So, what I like about this kid is he can get a shot up. He can also drive very quickly and get into the lane and put up some shots. But that eight rebounds is very impressive to me. Now the decade the kid can clean the glass uh despite being 66. I think he has a very long wingspan and I think uh if you’re looking for maybe a third or fourth string guard to fill out this ro I’m sorry not guard forward to fill out this roster I think he might be the guy you might want to take a look at. Uh I think he I I think he has a lot of upside if you keep working with him. Uh, and I think he, like I said, I watched some of his highlights and I was pretty impressed. And Cor and Cory Brewer uh, in his interview yesterday saying that the kid’s getting up good shots. Uh, he’s moving around and he’s impressing a lot of the folks there in uh, New Orleans uh, with the summer league. So, it’s going to be interesting to see how he’s going to play out in this summer league and if he’s going to be able to make this franchise, this uh roster because again, what we’re looking for here, in my opinion, with summer league is you’re looking for maybe one extra roster spot because you got a lot of two-ways uh and and and plus I need to figure out what’s going on with Lester Konis. We might have to do a video on this cat cuz I don’t know how this kid has survived this roster for two or three years straight and he’s going to be back on the summer league roster as a guard and while you’re still auditioning all these other guards. But I think with Shumati uh Shumat I hope I’m saying this kid’s name right. I’m I’m sorry and I apologize if I’m saying it wrong. Uh but I think with Schumat you have some potential there as far as uh in a four position. Uh and like I said those eight rebounds one of the P’s big off one big big problems has been rebounding. Um, especially I think in the what we lack at is in the forward positions uh and and being able to rebound cuz a lot of the times if you seen how this offense has run with the Pells, they like to put the forwards in the corners and not so much put them closer to the glass to try to sort of crash the glass to clean up these rebounds whenever these players miss. So, I think with Schumate, you have not only a kid that’s capable to that could drive in the lane, penetrating into the lane, and get some get some good looks, but also can be there to clean up the glass and and so I like him. I I would like to see if he could possibly make this roster. Do you think it’s possible he makes this roster? What are your thoughts on that? Or do you like Will Baker? Do you like the Will Baker kid? Would you like to see Will Baker get some minutes in? I think it’s but I think it’s going to be tougher for Baker because again you’ve already sort of stacked up in that that center/forward position. You got Blake Dickinson on the two-way. Uh you got Queen. Uh you got Looney, you got Makavic. So I I as far as with that positioning goes with Baker, I think they’re just bringing him in and let him get some some burn, be a roster spot for him, let some get some looks with some other NBA teams. But I don’t see Baker making his roster. I think Shumate has a bigger and better chance of making this roster uh due to his potential upside in the forward position uh especially with his length. U like I said just being 66. But the kid has hops. He has hops and he has a nice long uh uh wingspan. So I think this is a guy that you can if the Pels if you’re looking for an extra person to put on his roster, be on the lookout for the Shumati kid. I’m just saying I if he if he performs very well in summer league uh and is able to showcase what he can have. I could see him possibly making this roster. What are your thoughts on it though? Clap back with your thoughts in the comments. Uh what do you think? Who are you looking forward to seeing in summer league as it kicks off tomorrow? Now the first game starts at 2:30 p.m. Central uh from Las Vegas. They’re going to end up they’re going up against the Minnesota T uh Timberwolves. Uh so we’re going to be covering that. have the postgame coverage, pregame, all that good stuff right here on Pelicans Digest tomorrow. So, make sure you tune in and clap back with your thoughts. Who do you think, who on this summer league roster do you like would like to see make the team or the Pel extend an offer to? Is there anybody you’re interested in? I already said keep an eye out on that battle uh between Trey Alexander and Antonio Reeves. Keep an eye out on that battle, but also keep an eye out on the Ford battles as well. So, uh, share, uh, share your thoughts, hit that subscribe button, and check back with us again, man, as we keep you, uh, updated on what’s going on with the Pels. It’s Mels talking about them pels inside Pelicans Digest. Thanks once again for tuning in. Hit that subscribe button and let’s keep the conversation

Melz On The MIC breaks down another matchup to watch at Summer League and an update on the Kevon Looney signing.

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