Pelicans' Antonio Reeves makes wild rookie history in loss to Cavs
11/21/2024 12:30 PM
When the New Orleans Pelicans traded for Antonio Reeves on draft night, they were taking a chance on a 24-year old guard who would be the last in a long line of John Calipari-coached Kentucky guards to make it to the NBA. But they may not have expected the rookie to make history so soon.
The extensive list of Pelicans rotation players dealing with injuries forced the team to play depth pieces on Wednesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Elfrid Payton got a call-up from the Birmingham Squadron to play 22 minutes. But rookie Antonio Reeves was the story of the night for New Orleans.
Reeves had played 51 minutes and taken 24 total shots in his rookie campaign before Wednesday. His 40-minute tally that night nearly doubled his minutes played. And Reeves made the most of the opportunity, scoring 34 points on 14-25 shooting and making four of 12 3-point attempts.
That’s the most points without a turnover that a rookie selected in the second round has scored since 1985, per Stathead. Throughout the existence of the NBA Draft lottery, no second-round rookie has had a more nimble and efficient performance than Reeves.
The Pelicans need all the contributions they can get from Antonio Reeves
Picking Reeves made sense for the Pelicans. He brought NBA-ready shooting ability and experience to the table. Several teams had interest in Reeves ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft, including the New York Knicks. Reeves played five years of college basketball between his time at Illinois State and Kentucky. And he showed improvement throughout his collegiate career. Reeves co-won SEC Sixth Man of the Year after his first season and made the All-SEC first-team after his second.
The Pelicans already had talent between Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy III, and Herb Jones. Finding someone in the second-round who could complement that talent early was a good goal to set. Reeves’ 3-point accuracy rate of 44.7% in his fifth year of college intrigued scouts and the Pelicans bit. He’d have several guards in CJ McCollum, Dyson Daniels, Jose Alvarado, and Jordan Hawkins to overtake. But if he earned minutes, he’d be well-insulated on both ends of the floor.
The day after drafting Reeves, the Pelicans traded Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., and first-round picks to the Hawks for Dejounte Murray. Suddenly, Reeves was a third-stringer when he entered the NBA. Murray, McCollum, Alvarado, and Hawkins missing Wednesday’s game in Cleveland paved the way for Reeves to get extended burn.
None of the injured guards, including Herb Jones, are expected to return to the Pelicans’ lineup in the immediate future. The team will give Reeves more opportunities to prove he belongs at the NBA level. And if the team wants to stay afloat, it’s going to need impact from both 2024 draft selections. Center Yves Missi is averaging 23.2 minutes due to the team’s lack of depth. Reeves was averaging 6.5 minutes per game before Wednesday, which brought him to 10.1. Fans should look for that number to continue to grow.
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