The Pelicans stood pat at No. 14, and in doing so they picked a national champion in UConn's Jordan Hawkins.
The sophomore, who happens to be the cousin of LSU's Angel Reese, was one the best shooters in college as his Huskies team dominated the NCAA Tournament field, winning all of its games by 10-plus points. Hawkins averaged 16.2 points on 38.8% three-point shooting, allowing with 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
Rumors and innuendo swirled around the Pelicans potentially trading up into the top 3 with an eye on Scoot Henderson, but that ultimately did not develop. The Charlotte Hornets picked Alabama's Brandon Miller No. 2 overall, followed by the Blazers picking Scoot Henderson at No. 3.
The decision to stand pat means the Pelicans will look to run things back with a core built around Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, a duo that's been successful but simply not on the court enough at the same time. Williamson was named an All-Star starter for the first time in the 2022-'23 season, but did not appear in the game due to a hamstring injury that ended at 29 games. The Pelicans qualified for the play-in, but lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 9-10 game.
Hawkins joins a group of high picks that includes Williamson, Ingram, Trey Murphy III and last year's No. 8 overall pick Dyson Daniels, along with veteran CJ McCollum who is headed into his third season in New Orleans.