The 2024-25 NBA regular season for the New Orleans Pelicans is still more than two months away. Despite that, some analysts are already taking a peek ahead to the 2025 NBA Draft.

The 2025 draft class blows away the recently completed one when it comes to high-end talent. Several players who are projected to be selected near the top of next year’s draft would have been the runaway favorite to be No. 1 in this year’s class.

The prize of the 2025 draft will be Cooper Flagg. Any rebuilding team will have their eyes on him as a franchise cornerstone to build around. Superstar projections are going to be made throughout what will likely be a one-season stay at Duke.

Traveling north from Duke, you will find two stars at Rutgers. Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper are next in line when it comes to the top prospects in the 2025 draft class, along with VJ Edgecombe of Baylor.

The upside of all four players is immense, as we will see some major tanking from NBA teams during the 2024-25 campaign. If the Pelicans are in the running for one of those players, it means something has gone terribly wrong during the season.

After acquiring Dejounte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks this offseason, it is clear New Orleans wants to improve their standing in the Western Conference. But, based on FanDuel’s projected win totals, which were used to make the order for a 2025 NBA mock draft over at Bleacher Report, the Pelicans are a fringe playoff team.

Jonathan Wasserman has New Orleans selecting No. 16 overall, hinting at them being in the NBA Play-In Tournament mix once again. With that selection, Wasserman has them selecting Miami (FL) freshman guard Jalil Bethea.

“Scouts’ recent views of Jalil Bethea have been mixed, after a 40-point showing at the Hoophall Classic and quiet performances at the McDonald’s All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic.

They had another chance to watch him last week at the Nike Skills Academy.

At 6’4″ and 170 pounds, Bethea will have limited margin for error with his shooting, but he’s shifty off the bounce and has a bag full of pull-ups, step-backs and passes for takeover scoring and secondary playmaking,” Wasserman wrote.

No matter who the Pelicans select in the 2025 NBA Draft, it is hard to envision them cracking the rotation. Unless it is a center, given their lack of certainty in the middle currently, at least one season of end-of-bench development likely awaits their rookie.

It is part of the reason that Dyson Daniels was included in the Murray blockbuster this summer. New Orleans is deep on the perimeter in their backcourt and on the wing but could use some help in the frontcourt.