Three young players expected to play starring roles in the upcoming NBA Draft visited New Orleans on Friday, giving the Pelicans' coaching staff a chance to get to know them better before Decision Day on June 27.
Trey Burke, Michael Carter-Williams and Alex Len were all on hand for pre-draft workouts at the Alario Center.
Len, a product of the Maryland Terrapins, is recovering from ankle surgery to repair a stress fracture and spent Friday hobbling around on crutches.
The 19-year-old therefore couldn't participate in physical activity, but certainly allowed his personality to shine through when doing interviews with the Pelicans' coaching staff and visiting media.
The 255-pound, 7-foot-1 center said he thinks the Crescent City would be a great fit for him.
"I really like the city. It's very European, so I like that. I'm from the Ukraine, so this city feels close to me," Len said. "I met the coaching staff. They were really good people. I really like it here."
Dynamic guard Trey Burke, the National Player of the Year who led Michigan to the program's first national title game appearance since 1993, also feels like New Orleans would be a good landing spot for him.
However, Burke said that after sizing up New Orleans' roster.
"With the young team that the Pelicans have, I definitely think I can come in and definitely make an impact right away and help this team win," Burke said. "I love the system New Orleans runs. I love the way Coach lets his players play, with the pick-and-roll action."
Meanwhile, Michael Carter-Williams, a 6-foot-7 guard from Syracuse, gave the media some insight into how he performed at this workout, since it was closed to the media except for interviews.
"I think I did well," Carter-Williams said. "It was tiring, but I think I stuck through it. I shot the ball pretty well, and did the things that they asked. I did everything to the best of my ability."
Pelicans head coach Monty Williams said he's pleased with what he saw on the court on Friday and thinks all three players show tremendous promise.
Williams said he's already seeing growth in Burke now compared to earlier this year.
"He can score the ball. He's got really good vision," Williams said. "He's put on some muscle. He looks a little different than he did at the championship game. He can certainly add some speed to our team."
Williams said as well as these three players performed in college and in the pre-draft workout, that doesn't necessarily translate to the NBA.
True to form, Williams emphasized defense, saying all three future rookies need to improve their defensive games, especially if they intend to contain the elite of the NBA.
General Manager Dell Demps said Friday's session was helpful heading into the Draft.
"It's good because you get to know them," Demps said. "You watch these guys on television and watch them play live for years, and you finally get the chance to talk to them. The thing that is interesting to me is the guys are so much younger now. They ask you a lot of questions. It's refreshing."
Demps said he received an unusual question from all three players.
"You know, it's interesting," Demps said. "These guys are pretty knowledgeable and the question they all had was 'Why the Pelicans? Why the name?' It's good. One player, a foreign player who probably went on Wikipedia or something, was reading that the team started in Charlotte, then moved here, then moved to Oklahoma City, then moved back here and now changed their name. It's interesting, but I was just proud that he did some research on us."
There are no other pre-draft workouts scheduled as of now, but Demps isn't ruling out the possibility of additional sessions.
