Tag: Didi Louzada

Report: Pelicans finalizing contract with draft pick Didi Louzada

Louzada was one of the first players to join the NBL “Next Stars” program, which also featured LaMelo Ball, R.J. Hampton and others.

On Sunday, it was reported by Olgun Uluc and Andrew Lopez of ESPN that the New Orleans Pelicans are finalizing a multi-year contract with draft pick Didi Louzada.

Louzada, who was the 35th overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, has spent the past two seasons in the National Basketball League with the Sydney Kings. The Kings granted Louzada permission to sign his contract with the Pelicans as he arrived in the United States on Sunday.

The 21-year-old was one of the first players to participate in the “Next Stars” program, which also featured LaMelo Ball, R.J. Hampton and others. He averaged 8.8 points and 1.9 assists in 20 games this season with the Kings on 39% shooting from the field.

Louzada previously played with Franca Basquetbol Club of the NBB, the top basketball league in Brazil, and has shown potential as a 3-and-D player. He reportedly packed on nearly 40 pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-5 frame as the Pelicans are hopeful he can become a defensive stopper in the NBA.

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Report: Pelicans finalizing multi-year deal with 2019 draft pick Didi Louzada

The New Orleans Pelicans are finalizing a deal with 2019 draft pick Didi Louzada, a Brazilian guard that has spent the last two years the NBL.

The New Orleans Pelicans are finalizing a deal with 2019 draft pick Didi Louzada, a Brazilian guard that has spent the last two years with the Sydney Kings in Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL), per ESPN’s Andrew Lopez and Olgun Uluc.

New Orleans selected Louzada with the No. 35 pick but have opted to stash him away from the team to allow him to further develop. With the Pelicans lacking wing depth due to injuries to Josh Hart and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Louzada could step right in and offer minutes as New Orleans tries to salvage a playoff run.

While in the NBL, Louzada averaged 9.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 39.4% from the field and 29.7% from the 3-point line in 40 games across two seasons. On April 15, Louzada had the best game of his time in the NBL, pouring in 28 points with eight rebounds while shooting 6-of-7 from the 3-point line.

Per ESPN’s report, Louzada arrived in New Orleans on Sunday. Given the likely need for COVID testing, his availability will be up in the air moving forward. After Sunday’s loss, New Orleans will be back home on Tuesday against Brooklyn, travel to Orlando to face the Magic on Thursday and in New Orleans to play San Antonio on Saturday.

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Pelicans draftee Didi Louzada set to rejoin Sydney Kings in NBL for 2020-21 season

After a strong rookie season with the Sydney Kings, Didi Louzada is set to return for a second year with the NBL franchise.

After a strong rookie season with the Sydney Kings, 2019 Pelicans second round draft pick Marcos “Didi” Louzada Silva will return to the NBL for a second season. Louzada announced the move himself on his Twitter account late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning.

In 26 games with the Kings last year, Louzada averaged 9.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Louzada started in 16 games and played 22.2 minutes per contest.

The 6’5″ guard shot 41.8% from the field and 37.1% from beyond the arc while attempting 5.0 three-pointers per game. When looking at some advanced metrics from SpatialJam, only one player had a higher on/off net rating on the Kings last season than Louzada.

Last summer, Louzada was apart of the Pelicans’ Summer League roster. He played in four games, averaging 11.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and played 27 minutes per game.

New Orleans’ host of young guard on the current roster likely played a big role in Louzada staying abroad. In earlier stages of a rebuild, Louzada could potentially have a bigger role with hte Pelicans. However, no role with the Pelicans would match the over 20 minutes per game he is receiving in Australia.

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Pelicans believe Didi Louzada is ahead of the curve in his development

Pelicans vice president David Griffin says Didi Louzada has the potential to be a 3-and-D defensive stopper.

After playing one season in the National Basketball League, the New Orleans Pelicans believe Didi Louzada has the tools to develop into a 3-and-D player in the future.

Louzada, the 35th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, took advantage of the “Next Stars” initiative, a plan introduced by the NBL to give the top prospects a way to play professionally. Louzada played with the Sydney Kings this season, where he averaged 10.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 assist in 20 games played.

The time overseas allowed Louzada do develop his game. He previously played with Franca Basquetbol Club of the NBB, the top basketball league in Brazil, and has shown to have potential as a 3-and-D player that can shoot and defend multiple positions. He has the length and athleticism to defend but will need to bulk up to compete at the NBA level.

The Pelicans, with plenty of depth ahead of Louzada, believed they could afford to allow Louzada to develop in the NBL as a draft and stash player. In a Q&A on Twitter, Pelicans vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said he believes Louzada landed in a good situation since the Kings’ head coach, Will Weaver, worked previously with Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon.

“Because they had a level of trust in one another, we were able to get Didi really far ahead of the curve in his development,” Griffin said. “We knew unequivocally Will and his staff were going to do a phenomenal job and do the kind of job hat Trajan himself would want done if Will was coaching in our building. It was a really positive thing for us that Sydney was the team Didi ended up with.

“His development on a very veteran team that had the best record in their league the vast majority of the season as a starter, a defensive stopper is exactly what we would have wanted. Fortunately, when I was there most recently, I got to see him be the best player on the court in the fourth-quarter run on both sides of the floor. The future is very bright there for us with a potential 3-and-D defensive stopper who can guard multiple positions.”

Louzada projects to have an opportunity to join the Pelicans next season and continue his development within the organization either in the NBA or the G League.

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A draft-and-stash signing for the …

A draft-and-stash signing for the Pelicans in 2019, New Orleans retained the rights to Louzada as he signed with the Kings in July. As a result of the three-pointer, the Kings believe Louzada will be heading to the United States after the NBL season to join the Pelicans in their summer league. The question is now whether he will return. “I would assume that he will be part of [the summer league],” Kings chief executive Chris Pongrass said. “A big part of why the Pelicans are so comfortable with having him stashed down here … is because this is a great place for him to develop and be ready for the NBA. Alternatively, it’s up to the Pelicans as to when they call him up and whether that will be next season.”

A draft-and-stash signing for the …

A draft-and-stash signing for the Pelicans in 2019, New Orleans retained the rights to Louzada as he signed with the Kings in July. As a result of the three-pointer, the Kings believe Louzada will be heading to the United States after the NBL season to join the Pelicans in their summer league. The question is now whether he will return. “I would assume that he will be part of [the summer league],” Kings chief executive Chris Pongrass said. “A big part of why the Pelicans are so comfortable with having him stashed down here … is because this is a great place for him to develop and be ready for the NBA. Alternatively, it’s up to the Pelicans as to when they call him up and whether that will be next season.”