A year later, New Orleans’ 2016 draft class has already helped yield a perennial All-Star, in the form of a trade that brought DeMarcus Cousins from Sacramento, which reportedly coveted Pelicans lottery pick Buddy Hield. The other member of last year’s two-player New Orleans draft crop may not provide dividends as quickly, but the potential is there down the road for Cheick Diallo to become a frontcourt contributor.
After playing sparingly during his one college season at Kansas (just 202 minutes), Diallo spent 2016-17 shuttling between New Orleans and the D-League, gaining valuable experience at the lower level.