New Orleans Pelicans 2025 NBA Mock Draft Roundup 1.0
Leading up to the 2025 NBA Draft, our New Orleans Pelicans Mock Draft Roundup will highlight recent picks for the New Orleans Pelicans from several prominent sites and draft analysts.
The following are picks in recent mock drafts for the Pelicans:
3. Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois
Lithuania's Kasparas Jakucionis is one of the hottest names in draft circles right now, recording 19 points with 4 assists and 3 rebounds in just the first half against Indiana on Tuesday night. He has an effective pull-up jumper and currently leads all freshmen in unassisted 3-pointers, per CBB Analytics, while shooting 41.6 percent from beyond the arc. As a point guard, he also leads all freshmen in assists distributed at the rim per game.
2. Dylan Harper, Rutgers
He was playing at an incredibly high level at the end of the calendar year but has recently been hampered by illness. The key with Harper is the shooting. If he's making 3-pointers, it unlocks so much else because of his size, strength, length and natural instincts with the ball in his hands — and he was 15 for 32 from behind the arc in December.
Bleacher Report — Jonathan Wasserman
2. Dylan Harper, Rutgers
The flu cost Dylan Harper the Indiana game and clearly affected his play and minutes against Wisconsin and Purdue. He looked more like himself against UCLA on Monday.
Harper has made a strong impression this season with how well he's able to get to spots and finish in traffic. He's been lethal so far from off the ball in catch-and-shoot situations, and despite underwhelming pull-up percentages, he's demonstrated enough shotmaking capability for an 18-year-old to keep scouts' hopeful.
Lottery teams will ultimately view Harper as a scoring lead guard whose creativity and gravity should result in sufficient playmaking for an offense's primary ball-handler.
Harper has made a strong impression this season with how well he's able to get to spots and finish in traffic. He's been lethal so far from off the ball in catch-and-shoot situations, and despite underwhelming pull-up percentages, he's demonstrated enough shotmaking capability for an 18-year-old to keep scouts' hopeful.
Lottery teams will ultimately view Harper as a scoring lead guard whose creativity and gravity should result in sufficient playmaking for an offense's primary ball-handler.
1. Cooper Flagg, Duke
There is at least a real conversation surrounding No. 1, but Flagg is consistently the name I get more often than Harper, and there are a few reasons for that.
First, Flagg has been terrific this season while playing most of his freshman year at 17 years old. He's averaging 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists with nearly two steals and over one block per game. He's a two-way force, defending exceptionally well as a switchable power forward for Duke as well as providing some real rim protection as a weakside rotational presence. The offensive efficiency doesn't look particularly great, but he's showcased a bit more as a creative force with ball in hand than expected from scouts this year, operating in midrange areas and generating a ton of shots as a primary option with a handle that continues to improve. His passing is terrific, and he plays well off the ball.
Scouts continue to point to Flagg's demeanor and competitiveness. This certainly isn't to question anything in that regard with Harper — the Rutgers guard not only passes but excels in answering all of the off-court questions that teams have with flying colors — but Flagg is seen as truly elite for a young player in how he approaches the game. He's seen as a winner, the kind of player who can lift his team's level in terms of aggression and competitiveness from day one because he doesn't take any possessions or days off. He also plays a premium position as a big wing that teams continue to covet league-wide. Two-way, shot-creating wings are the hardest player types to find.
Ultimately, if Flagg shows any continued improvement with his jump shot, he will likely go No. 1. His shooting efficiency has at least opened the door a bit. Thus far, Flagg is making just 45.8 percent of his attempts overall and 30.8 percent of his 3s. He has gone 8-of-16 from 3 in his past five games, a stretch in which he has averaged 20.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, four assists and over a block and a steal per game.
First, Flagg has been terrific this season while playing most of his freshman year at 17 years old. He's averaging 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists with nearly two steals and over one block per game. He's a two-way force, defending exceptionally well as a switchable power forward for Duke as well as providing some real rim protection as a weakside rotational presence. The offensive efficiency doesn't look particularly great, but he's showcased a bit more as a creative force with ball in hand than expected from scouts this year, operating in midrange areas and generating a ton of shots as a primary option with a handle that continues to improve. His passing is terrific, and he plays well off the ball.
Scouts continue to point to Flagg's demeanor and competitiveness. This certainly isn't to question anything in that regard with Harper — the Rutgers guard not only passes but excels in answering all of the off-court questions that teams have with flying colors — but Flagg is seen as truly elite for a young player in how he approaches the game. He's seen as a winner, the kind of player who can lift his team's level in terms of aggression and competitiveness from day one because he doesn't take any possessions or days off. He also plays a premium position as a big wing that teams continue to covet league-wide. Two-way, shot-creating wings are the hardest player types to find.
Ultimately, if Flagg shows any continued improvement with his jump shot, he will likely go No. 1. His shooting efficiency has at least opened the door a bit. Thus far, Flagg is making just 45.8 percent of his attempts overall and 30.8 percent of his 3s. He has gone 8-of-16 from 3 in his past five games, a stretch in which he has averaged 20.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, four assists and over a block and a steal per game.
2. Dylan Harper, Rutgers
Injuries have ravaged New Orleans' season, leading to a likely high draft pick. Harper has established himself among front offices as a consensus top-two pick at this stage and the Pelicans likely would be thrilled to add a player with his talent after such a difficult season.
Harper has even done enough to be a candidate for the No. 1 pick: His shot-creation prowess, pick-and-roll instincts and positional size should earn him the keys to some team's offense in the long run. He's making 3-pointers at a respectable clip (36% on nearly five attempts per game) and manages turnovers effectively in a huge role. Though Rutgers, at 7-6, will have an uphill climb to make the NCAA tournament, Harper has a terrific runway to strengthen his candidacy atop the draft. -- Woo
Harper has even done enough to be a candidate for the No. 1 pick: His shot-creation prowess, pick-and-roll instincts and positional size should earn him the keys to some team's offense in the long run. He's making 3-pointers at a respectable clip (36% on nearly five attempts per game) and manages turnovers effectively in a huge role. Though Rutgers, at 7-6, will have an uphill climb to make the NCAA tournament, Harper has a terrific runway to strengthen his candidacy atop the draft. -- Woo
2. Dylan Harper, Rutgers
Harper has separated himself from anybody else in the race to go second overall behind Flagg. As it stands right now, he's as close as he's ever been to the No. 1 pick. Harper is averaging 21.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game on a Rutgers team that is underwhelming beyond him and Ace Bailey. The New Jersey native is the best pure guard in this draft, and it's not close.