Yves Missi was selected by the Pelicans with the No. 21 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Missi is a prototypical rim-running center, which means that he may be able to contribute earlier on than other prospects in this class. The 20-year-old 7-footer played 34 games during his freshman season at Baylor and averaged 10.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting 6.4% from the floor across 23 minutes per game. His rebounding was underwhelming for a tall, athletic center, but he should be a threat in pick and rolls from day one. On the defensive end, his bread and butter will be as a shot blocker, but he also moves well enough to switch onto smaller players if needed, which is needed in today’s NBA. According to Shams Charania, “Pelicans were zeroed in on the 7-footer from Baylor and fill a center need.” The selection makes sense considering Jonas Valanciunas is expected to leave in free agency, and the center depth behind him is quite shallow.