<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-news-yves-missi-making-progress-while-taking-ownership-defense-rookie');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans’ Yves Missi not ‘scared to jump’ while making progress on defense');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Yves-Missi-making-a-lot-of-progress-while-taking-ownership-on-defense.jpg"></figure><h1>Pelicans’ Yves Missi not ‘scared to jump’ while making progress on defense</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-26T20:52:18-08:00">November 26th, 8:52pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-26T20:54:45-08:00">November 26th, 8:54pm</time><address><a>Chris Dodson</a>Chris Dodson is a Memphis Grizzlies beat reporter for ClutchPoints who has also covered the New Orleans Pelicans. He has covered Louisiana high school and college basketball in spurts for over a decade. A basketball lifer from the bayou, his gumbo-stirring form matches his elbow jumper celebrations. Fast enough for varsity hoops, tall enough for a soccer scholarship. He has words and will travel, just not on the court.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-most-pleasant-surprise-early-nba-2024-25-season-yves-missi">New Orleans Pelicans have one pleasant surprise</a> to celebrate this holiday season in rookie big man Yves Missi. Willie Green has needed the 20-year-old to wise up despite only being in an organized basketball setting for less than a handful of years. Missi has done just that. The Baylor alum’s first month on an NBA regular season job schedule has gone quite well all things considered. The defensive prowess is already deterring opponents on a nightly basis while the offensive game shapes up.</p><p>Missi is averaging 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.8 blocks/steals per game while shooting 53.7% from the floor. He talked about lessons learned and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjVP8qJgeac" rel="noopener">quickly developing a reputation</a> for being a rim-protecting force to be reckoned with before facing the Toronto Raptors.</p><p>“I would say I’ve made a lot of progress in different areas like rebounding and trying to finish through contact,” Missi admitted. “There are a lot of things being thrown at me so I’m just trying to process it every time.”</p><p>Missi would not go so far as to say the offensive skills have surpassed the defensive talents but there is more of a balance after a month on the job. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-cj-mccollum-first-game-back-injury-cut-corners-defense-shots-not-falling-pacers">Pelicans cannot use moral victories</a> to vault up the standings but is some value to be extracted from an injury-riddled season.</p><p>“I feel like (my offense) is getting better,” Missi replied. “I always feel like the defensive part is something I own. Every time on defense I’m trying to do the best I can. Being able to do the same thing on offense will help the team as well.”</p><p>There have been a few surprising plays from Missi lately too. The off-the-dribble moves have caught everyone off guard but it could become a go-to option late in the shot clock.</p><p>“I’ve been doing it a little,” Missi said. “I’ve been doing it obviously and I’ll get better at it. The more I do it the more I get comfortable.”</p><h2><b>Pelicans comfortable in Yves Missi’s minutes</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Yves-Missi-Pelicans-dunks.jpg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Yves Missi is already comfortable in positions other players avoid. Being on someone else’s poster is not a part of the business decision process. No one remembers the person not dunking. Everyone remembers the shot-swatting big man with no fear and an occasional Dikembe Mutombo impersonating finger wag.</p><p>“People always ask me if I’m scared to jump. If I’m going to get dunked on, then I’m going to get dunked on. Next time I’m going to block it so I don’t really care about it. I’m always trying to dunk or block it,” Missi said. “I feel like I’m the youngest so regardless I have to jump and do something. Whenever someone is going (for a shot), I have to go (defend) even if I’m late. At least try to make them miss.”</p><p>Learning how each paint patrol opponent likes to get shots up from the jump will just take time. The Pelicans should have 25 minutes a night open to let Missi experiment.</p><p>“I feel like it depends on the way people are jumping,” explained Missi. “Sometimes they are looking for the contact. So if you avoid the contact and go for the ball, you have more of a chance to block the ball. It’s just something you have to process and it depends on the step. If they go off two or one (foot). It just depends.”</p><p>The Pelicans making the NBA Play-In Tournament might depend on Missi’s development more than most expected to start the season. Willie Green <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19S4rcOOAU4" rel="noopener">sounded fine</a> with that after a road loss to the Indiana Pacers.</p><p>“Another big performance from Yves,” Green stated, “He was battling the shoulder injury the last few days, missed the Golden State Warriors game, missed practice, but showed up huge (versus the Pacers). Big time effort on both ends of the floor. The sky is the limit for him. He is such a really good young player and we just hope he can keep doing what he is doing because it is really helping us.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans’ Yves Missi not ‘scared to jump’ while making progress on defense

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-news-yves-missi-making-early-nba-rookie-statement-willie-green');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans’ Yves Missi making early Rookie of the Year statement');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Pelicans-Yves-Missi-making-early-Rookie-of-the-Year-statement.jpg"></figure><h1>Pelicans’ Yves Missi making early Rookie of the Year statement</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-31T13:33:42-07:00">October 31st, 1:33pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-31T13:33:42-07:00">October 31st, 1:33pm</time><address><a>Chris Dodson</a>Chris Dodson is a Memphis Grizzlies beat reporter for ClutchPoints who has also covered the New Orleans Pelicans. He has covered Louisiana high school and college basketball in spurts for over a decade. A basketball lifer from the bayou, his gumbo-stirring form matches his elbow jumper celebrations. Fast enough for varsity hoops, tall enough for a soccer scholarship. He has words and will travel, just not on the court.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-dejounte-murray-catch-possible-luxury-tax-break-amid-hand-fracture-injury">New Orleans Pelicans are finding few silver linings</a> five games into the 2024-25 NBA schedule. Dejounte Murray (hand fracture) did not survive the season’s home opener unscathed. Trey Murphy III (hamstring) did not make it out of training camp ready to contribute. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-panic-slow-start-season-dejounte-murray-brandon-ingram">Zion Williamson’s Pelicans are not panicking</a> and a big reason why is rookie center Yves Missi.</p><p>Missi’s <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/traditional?PlayerExperience=Rookie&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=MIN" rel="noopener">stats are not eye-popping</a>, granted. However, in this rookie class 6.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists with 1.8 reputation-building blocks are enough to get noticed. Those numbers would be even better if not for an 0-for-5 night against the Golden State Warriors. The Pelicans big man did take a knock to the hip/groin area though, so the ability to tough out a rough game by the team was admirable.</p><p>Wayward shots and mishandled passes can be forgiven as the former Baylor big man gets comfortable in the NBA game. Missi’s rebounding and defense are already plus attributes in Willie Green’s rotations. Missi helps the offense move, sitting second overall in the rookie class in screen assists (4.8). The Pelicans big also tops the rookie charts for two-pointers contested (6.2) per game.</p><p>Green gave Missi <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW7HzJqu-ro&amp;t=184s" rel="noopener">credit for the learning curve</a> after two back-to-back road losses to the Warriors.</p><p>“(Missi) is doing a great job. He has come in games and is a really good defender. He is blocking shots, setting screens, diving,” Green noted. “He has surprised us a little bit. It’s definitely a pleasant surprise how fast he picks up the game and his competitive spirit. He is another guy that has a bright future.”</p><p>Despite the early setbacks, the Pelicans have found a beacon of hope in Missi. The rookie center has quickly adapted to the NBA’s pace and physicality, showcasing his defensive prowess and high basketball IQ. His ability to protect the rim and contribute on both ends of the floor has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umetfaintoA" rel="noopener">been a pleasant surprise</a> for the coaching staff and fans alike.</p><p>Those Smoothie King Center customers need some hope to cling to amid a woeful 2-3 start to the season after all, just like the rest of the roster.</p><p>“Huge bright spot for us (in training camp),” Green shared. “Yves was incredible, especially when we put him in with that starting group. He just opens the floor with his rim pressure. (He is) a lob threat. He is doing a great job of picking up all of our concepts pretty quickly.”</p><h2><b>Yves Missi panning out for Pelicans</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Pelicans-Yves-Misssi-drives.jpg"><figcaption>Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The 2024 NBA Draft class was considered weak for years and those rookies who have stepped on the court so far have predictably struggled. Only eight first-year prospects are playing more than 20 minutes per game. Even Missi falls just short, having missed time with that hip/groin tweet on October 30 (at Warriors).</p><p>Zach Edey, Zaccharie Risacher, and Donovan Clingan were expected to log significant minutes this season. Missi, having only played organized basketball for three years before being drafted, was more of a developmental project. Well, his 12 points, seven rebounds, three blocked shots, one assist, and one steal in the 123-111 win at the Smoothie King Center looked almost easy. Arguably, Missi has more positive highlights than any drafted in the lottery spots.</p><p>The Pelicans have every reason to believe the rookie big man can replicate that production more often than not. Green explained why after winning the home opener over the Chicago Bulls.</p><p>“(Missi) has gotten better and better since we drafted him,” Green said. “We really love some of the things that he was doing. He made an adjustment in the second half. We said no more layups: ‘Every time you see a ball, go block it.’ His ability to pick up details (and) pick up execution shows when he gets out on the floor.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
9.7	8.6	1.2	1.2	0.7

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
9.7	8.6	1.2	1.2	0.7

Yves Missi

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Pelicans’ Yves Missi not ‘scared to jump’ while making progress on defense

Pelicans’ Yves Missi making early Rookie of the Year statement

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