Diving Into Julian Reese's Fit With Pelicans After Signing

The New Orleans Pelicans filled their final two-way roster spot after signing former undrafted forward Julian Reese this week.

Reese is the brother of former LSU star and current WNBA player Angel Reese, but he also played with Pelicans forward Derik Queen at the University of Maryland. The 6-foot-9 forward spent time in the G League and with the Washington Wizards, where he made a mark late in the season.

Reese appeared in 13 games for the Wizards, averaging 11.8 points and 10.5 rebounds in about 30 minutes per game. He eventually became part of a trade deal that sent him to the Denver Nuggets this summer, but the Nuggets waived him a week later, making him an unrestricted free agent. Reese joins Malik Dia and Jaron Pierre, Jr. as the other two two-way players the Pelicans signed this summer.

How Julian Reese fits in with the Pelicans

After a relatively quiet offseason, New Orleans has spent the last month trying to bolster its frontcourt, a glaring concern last campaign.

In addition to signing Reese and Dia, the Pelicans signed forwards Christian Shumate and Christian Koloko to training camp deals. This followed their signing of forward Trendon Watford to a one-year deal in August. While none of these names are immediate fixes for the team’s interior defensive woes, a player like Reese is an interesting addition.

Reese’s calling card is rebounding, where the Baltimore native averaged 9.2 rebounds in his two seasons in college. During his late-season stint with the Wizards, Reese recorded eight double-doubles, including four games with 15+ points and 15+ rebounds. Those numbers jump off the score sheet, but keep in mind they came late in the season for a tanking Washington Wizards team. How he fits on the current Pelicans roster is a bit trickier.

At 6-foot-9, Reese is undersized to play a meaningful role in the paint. The Pelicans already trot out a small frontcourt with Zion Williamson and Derik Queen. Those two will get significant playing time together this season so the reserves will fight for key minutes.

The Pelicans' defensive rebounding and paint defense woes are well documented, leading many to expect a player like Yves Missi to get his fair share of playing time under defensive-minded head coach Jamahl Mosley. Missi is a prototypical, modern-day center at 6-foot-11 and extremely athletic.

That leaves players like Watford and Karlo Matkovic, whom the Pelicans picked up their team option on, to compete for frontcourt playing time this season. Matkovic is an athletic big who is improving as a stretch-four. He shot 42% from three last season and would be an ideal stretch big when Williamson or Queen are on the court. Watford is a skilled big who can create his own shot and help initiate offense off the dribble.

Reese is a mixed bag in terms of fit. He did not attempt a three-pointer in his 13 games with the Wizards last season. For his four years in college, he shot just 29% from deep. He wouldn’t be ideal alongside Williamson or Queen, as he would clog the lane.

However, his motor and rebounding prowess for an undersized forward make it intriguing to see how it translates to this team. Reese will get plenty of opportunity for the team’s G League affiliate, Laketown Squadron, to prove his worth if the Pelicans call him up due to an injury.

While this signing doesn’t cure all the team’s issues, Reese provides low-cost insurance at the forward spot if the team goes through an injury bug, which it’s been prone to in the past. He’ll get plenty of reps in the G League and should be ready if his name is called upon to provide frontcourt depth this season.