The New Orleans Pelicans did not rise in the NBA Draft lottery, but they also did not fall. Staying put in their projected slot needs to be seen as a positive, and the team will, seemingly, have a variety of options with such a murky picture of the draft order.
Once Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram are off the board, it is anyone’s guess as to how the next eight or so picks will fall out. Some mock drafts have the Pelicans landing Buddy Hield, some have the team selecting Kris Dunn, a fair amount peg them to draft Jamal Murray, etc.