{"id":101048,"date":"2024-10-13T21:25:30","date_gmt":"2024-10-14T01:25:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=101048"},"modified":"2024-10-21T13:57:28","modified_gmt":"2024-10-21T17:57:28","slug":"nba-draft-rumors-pelicans-scouting-potential-french-gem-keziah-ekissi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/13\/nba-draft-rumors-pelicans-scouting-potential-french-gem-keziah-ekissi\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Rumors: Pelicans Scouting French Draft Gem Keziah Ekissi"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The New Orleans Pelicans were Howard College\u2019s practice to scout point guard Keziah Ekissi, per JUCO Scoop\u2019s director of scouting Cody Hopkins.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The New Orleans Pelicans were in Big Spring, TX this afternoon for <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HowardHoops?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@HowardHoops<\/a> practice to get a look at Ekissi. The 6\u20194 dynamic freshman from France was very impressive. The Hawks will be at the Mullens\/Mitchell Jamboree this weekend, playing 3 games on Fri, Oct 11th\u2026 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/73tSyF68P6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/73tSyF68P6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Cody Hopkins (@CoachCodyHop) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CoachCodyHop\/status\/1844113039391588831?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 9, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Pelicans Scouting Potential French Draft Gem Keziah Ekissi<\/h2>\n<p>Listed at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Ekissi is a quick and shifty ball-handler with a knack for getting the ball in the hoop.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\ud83d\udea8Meet the Hawks\ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n<p>Keziah Ekissi (<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EkissiKeziah?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@EkissiKeziah<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>6\u20193 \u2022 Guard \u2022 Saintes Maries De La Mer, France<br \/>\nEspoirs Cholet<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udca5 High IQ Guard<br \/>\n\ud83d\udca5 3-Level Scorer<br \/>\n\ud83d\udca5 Pesky Defender<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JUCOadvocate?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@JUCOadvocate<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Bbi08uSlqT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/Bbi08uSlqT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Howard College Men&#8217;s Basketball (@HowardHoops) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HowardHoops\/status\/1828167203130352117?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 26, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>A three-level scorer who can even finish above the rim, he\u2019s truly an NBA-caliber player, competition level aside.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Potentially the most impressive prospect during <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JUCOadvocate?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@JUCOadvocate<\/a> OK Juco Jamboree was 6\u20194 FR PG Keziah Ekissi from France <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EkissiKeziah?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@EkissiKeziah<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The 6\u20194 guard led a talented Howard team in scoring for the majority of games and led most of the event in playmaking, while also showcasing\u2026 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WxhZzjzilU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/WxhZzjzilU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Arman Jovic (@PDTScouting) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PDTScouting\/status\/1844087461330477435?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 9, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>It remains to be seen where Ekissi will play next season though. Despite his commitment to Howard College, <a href=\"https:\/\/verbalcommits.com\/players\/kziah-ekissi\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">he\u2019s received offers<\/a> from Samford, UT Arlington, Tarleton State, Indiana State, Arizona State, and Oregon State as well.<\/p>\n<p>Should Ekissi be looking to get maximum exposure, the Sun Devils may be the natural choice. To that point, Arizona State is currently led by Bobby Hurley, the older brother of UConn head coach Dan Hurley. They also have three alumni who are currently in the NBA, including Los Angeles Clippers star <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hardeja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James Harden<\/a> and Oklahoma City Thunder standout <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/dortlu01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lu Dort<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>With that being said, Ekissi has a great foundation, but needs plenty of sharpening. He could be a one-and-done prospect regardless, especially with teams often being spellbound by potential. Nonetheless, expectations should be tempered unless he proves himself to be a can\u2019t-miss prospect in 2024-25.<\/p>\n<h3>Depth, Potential, Modernization<\/h3>\n<p>If Ekissi lands with the Pelicans, he might shore up the thin point guard depth in the bayou.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/murrade01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dejounte Murray<\/a>, who came to the bayou in a splash offseason trade, looks every bit like their franchise point guard. Defensive dynamo <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/alvarjo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jose Alvarado<\/a> is making the Pelicans look pretty smart for betting on him. There\u2019s nobody behind them though, unless veteran playmaker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/paytoel01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Elfrid Payton<\/a> makes the cut.<\/p>\n<p>However, even if Payton is <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/19\/pelicans-sign-elfrid-payton-ahead-training-camp\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">on the roster<\/a> when the regular season begins, his future in New Orleans is cloudy. Do the Pelicans keep him on for one year while giving him an opportunity to stay long-term? At 30 years old, his best days may be behind him. So, how secure is his spot going to be if someone with more potential comes on board?<\/p>\n<p>What if that player is Ekissi, whose brand of basketball is more aligned with the way point guards usually play the position now?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The New Orleans Pelicans were Howard College\u2019s practice to scout point guard Keziah Ekissi, per JUCO Scoop\u2019s director of scouting Cody Hopkins. The New Orleans Pelicans were in Big Spring, TX this afternoon for @HowardHoops practice to get a look at Ekissi. The 6\u20194 dynamic freshman from France was very impressive. The Hawks will be [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":101056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33,1608,62,556,3],"tags":[475,49728,49727,98,48967],"class_list":["post-101048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pelicans","category-basketball","category-nba","category-nba-draft","category-news","tag-elfrid-payton","tag-juco","tag-keziah-ekissi","tag-nba-draft","tag-nba-preseason"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101048"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101048\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}