Yves Missi’s ROTY campaign is the only bright spot for the Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans are 1-20 over their last 21 games. They last won (barely) on December 5, defeating the Phoenix Suns 126-124. To say this season has been a drag for the Bayou Boys would be a huge understatement under the circumstances. Nevertheless, a largely positive development has materialized through the trials and tribulations: Yves Missi.

Missi, the 21st pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, was considered a raw, albeit talented prospect entering Year 1 of his professional career. Still, New Orleans’ starter, decimated by injuries early on, made him a consistent, meaningful regular in their rotation. Suddenly, he’s turned into a legitimate long-term building block for a seemingly directionless Pelicans organization.

After a solid end to the calendar year, Missi climbed to the top spot of the NBA’s Kia Rookie Ladder. He dethroned Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs for the pole position. While the former’s play hasn’t translated to success in New Orleans, his efforts have shown the Pelicans currently have their center of the future.

Since joining the starting five on Nov. 1, Missi has averaged 9.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. match in 28 competitions. He has done so while maintaining an effective field goal rate of 57 percent compared to the league average clip of 54.1. Nevertheless, efficient scoring aside, the 20-year-old has been as advertised on the defensive end of the floor.

Despite the Pelicans straying further from contention, Missi is getting more comfortable as a rim protector with each rep. His declining defensive rating from October (121.3) to December (116.7) highlights the Baylor product’s continued growth as a paint-patrol big man. He also ranks second among rookies in swats (46), trailing only Washington Wizards seven-footer Alexander Sarr.

If the Pelicans can hang their hats on any aspect of the 2024-2025 campaign, it’s how ready Missi has proven to be in a significant role. He has provided a sense of stability as the fate of core franchise players like Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram hang in the balance. His presence, along with outstanding wing Trey Murphy III, feels like the only safety in New Orleans after this year.

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The optics suggest that the early results of the Julius Randle-Minnesota Timberwolves era haven’t been all that bad. He’s posting 20-7-4 nightly splits, and his team is just two games out of the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot in the Western Conference. Be that as it may, the atmosphere is not so great in the North Star State. So how will Tim Connelly and the front office respond?

Organizational centerpiece Anthony Edwards has openly and publicly blasted the Timberwolves this season for a lack of effort, identity and more. Fans routinely call for Randle’s head every time he makes a mistake. Meanwhile, Minnesota is one of four clubs above the dreaded second apron, although they appear to be moving away from being title contenders. They are almost in no man’s land, an extremely unenviable position.

The Timberwolves boast the league’s highest payroll, but could the Timberwolves try to shed salary by dumping Randle’s contract? Will they try to re-sign him to a new deal to ease the financial burden going forward? Or are the Timberwolves betting the three-time All-Star declines his $30.93 million player option for 2025-2026 and hits the open market?

Should the Wolves choose the first of the three options, are they willing to commit capital to Randle to facilitate a trade? No offense to the veteran big man, but there isn’t a list of potential suitors vying for his services, especially at that price. He’s too good for tanking teams and isn’t an ideal fit for those with championship aspirations, making him a difficult asset to evaluate.

Whatever the Timberwolves decide to do with Randle, the clock is officially ticking. It’s becoming increasingly clear that they can’t really construct a roster around Edwards, whose ex-New York Knick serves as the Robin to his Batman.