The New Orleans Pelicans won three of their five games during the NBA Summer League in early July. The hectic eight days from July 9-17 gave Pelicans fans an opportunity to see their young players in action against other top prospects.

Last season, the Pelicans snuck into the playoffs as the eighth seed via the play-in tournament before bowing out to the Phoenix Suns in the first round in six games. They looked to build off this success through the NBA Draft, taking guard Dyson Daniels eighth overall, forward EJ Liddell at pick 41 and forward Karlo Matkovic at pick 52.

New Orleans opened the Summer League with an 85-68 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Pelicans shot a paltry 27.5% from the field, with Naji Marshall and Jared Harper particularly having bad shooting nights. Trey Murphy III led all scorers with 23 points, on 43.8% shooting.

The Pelicans rebounded nicely with a 101-73 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Murphy exploded for 30 points, while Harper rebounded with a solid 14-point performance. 

Despite the win, the Pelicans lost Liddell for the coming season with an ACL tear. A promising prospect, the former Ohio State Buckeye averaged over 19 points per game in his final season in college.

The Pelicans next took down the Washington Wizards 106-88. Deividas Sirvydis led the Pelicans with 25 points, with Harper and Daeqwon Plowden both adding 18 points.

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated New Orleans 102-94 in the fourth game of the Summer League. Lakers shooters were lights out from beyond the arc, hitting over 47% of their three point attempts. 

The Pelicans wrapped up Summer League play with a victory, a 107-71 drubbing of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pelicans hit over half their shots both from beyond the arc and from the field in general.

The Pelicans will open the season on Oct. 19 at 6:30 PM CDT away to the Brooklyn Nets. New Orleans’ home opener will be Oct. 23 against the Utah Jazz.