The second the 2024-25 season ended, I was waiting and waiting for what year 2 Yves Missi was going to look like. Since the Pelicans dealt with so many injuries and problems last season, the Pelicans’ rookie big man got a ton of burn and was one of the team’s best players.
Missi appeared in 73 games last season and averaged 9.1 points per game, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 26.8 minutes of action. These impressive averages from a mid-first round pick helped Missi earn All-Rookie second team honors and set expectations high heading into his second season.
Prior to Summer League, many fans were hyped to see him dominate, as on top of his growing skillset, he had also added some more muscle to help him be even more of a force in the paint. However, his time in Vegas didn’t go as planned. Missi struggled immensely on the offensive end, shooting below 30% from the field, and looked out of his place, especially when sharing the floor with lottery pick Derik Queen.
This poor play gave fans even more of a reason to believe that Missi wasn’t part of Joe Dumars’ long-term plans with this team.
The writing is on the wall