How the New Orleans Pelicans have clearly found two building blocks in the 2025 NBA Draft is well-documented. Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen have established themselves as two of the best rookies of the draft class and will be long-term pieces for the Pelicans. Considering how much they gave up in the draft to select Queen, this is an excellent development. The front office should be criticized for giving up their 2026 first-round pick unprotected to the Hawks, but they undoubtedly drafted the right prospect in Queen.

So far, the biggest win for the Joe Dumars regime has been their drafting track record. Their evaluation of talent looks even better with Micah Peavy’s emergence in recent weeks. The Pelicans traded for the 40th-overall pick from the Wizards on draft day to select Peavy and that is looking like a potential steal.

Pelicans’ Micah Peavy Pick Is Looking Like a Steal

Peavy had a nomadic college basketball career, playing for Texas Tech, TCU, and Georgetown in his five years. He was never the most polished offensive player, but had made a name for himself as a solid, all-around player who can do a little bit of everything, especially defensively.

That has translated to the NBA. As a swingman with good positional size at 6-foot-7, Peavy can guard multiple positions.

Offensively, Peavy’s game has been a work in progress. His shot hasn’t fallen so far, as he has made only three of his 24 threes. He has been inefficient with 45.1% True Shooting. He rarely touches the ball on offense, but when he does, he usually makes good decisions. He keeps the ball moving by driving and kicking, is a very good off-ball cutter, and gets out in transition. He adds more speed and dynamism to the Pelicans’ offense. If the ball goes through the basket more for him, he could be a decent two-way player who thrives off the ball.

Peavy has earned the trust of James Borrego in recent games and has been an important member of the Pelicans’ bench mob who has been playing well. He has played at least 20 minutes in each of the last three games, averaging 8.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.7 steals in those appearances. The Pelicans have won his minutes in each of those games for a total of +18. It’s safe to assume that Peavy will remain a part of the rotation as long as this continues.

When you draft a 24-year-old rookie who played five seasons in college, you hope that they are NBA-ready. That type of prospect will not have the same upside as a 19-year-old one-and-done, but as long as they can give you some rotation minutes off the bench right away, that should be considered a win. That is what the Pelicans seem to have in Peavy. He may not have starter upside, but that is completely fine for a second-round pick. If the Pelicans can rely on Peavy as a solid backup who can play both ends of the floor, they will be more than happy with their pick.

More New Orleans Pelicans Content: