Pelicans Notes: Peavy, Camp Vibe, Queen, Poole, Barnes

The Pelicans have a pair of lottery picks in training camp but don’t sleep on their second-rounder. Wing Micah Peavy has made a strong impression on head coach Willie Green during the first week of camp, team website reporter Jim Eichenhofer writes.

“He may be flying under the radar (in terms of media and fan interest), but not in practices,” Green said. “He’s standing out big-time. He’s one of our guys who is doing really well.”

Peavy could help at both ends of the floor. He averaged 17.2 points and 2.3 steals for Georgetown last season.

“He fits sort of our core characteristics of how we want to play,” Green said. “Number one, he’s a high-character young man. On the floor, it starts with him being competitive. He brings toughness, he’s a good defender, he’s smart. He makes the right plays offensively, doesn’t hurt you at all.”

Here’s more on the Pelicans:

• They began training camp on Wednesday and there were plenty of positive vibes to go around. “It’s refreshing,” Green said, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com. “We all understand that last season was not a season we expected to have. Now we are turning the page. That’s the biggest thing I saw from this group (Wednesday).” Newcomer Jordan Poole certainly appreciated the upbeat atmosphere. “A lot guys at media day (Tuesday) mentioned how good of a group this is and how good the energy is and how well we get along with each other,” Poole said. “The vibes are good. I think we are just ready to get back on the court. We’re a competitive team, and guys want to get going early and want to find a way to expedite our learning curve.”
• One of the lottery picks, Derik Queen, is recovering from left wrist surgery and has been a limited participant. “He’s stepping into some of our drills,” Green said, per Eichenhofer. “He can do some of that. But we won’t rush him. When he’s ready, we’ll get the heads-up… and he’ll be able to step in and have more contact.”
• After starting out in a winning organization with the Warriors, Poole went through a whole lot of losing with the Wizards the last two seasons. He’s looking forward to being on a team with a greater chance to turn things around this season. “Now I’m able to incorporate what it feels like to be on the tougher end of it when it comes to winning and losing,” Poole told Walker. “The last two years for me were a bit more challenging. We weren’t able to win as much as I’d like. But coming to a situation with a new front office, that is the goal. That is the expectation. Everybody’s on the same page and it’ll be fun to go out there and compete against a really tough Western Conference.”
• They revamped their front office this offseason but they made a significant in-house promotion this week. Adam Barnes has named assistant GM, Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype tweets. He was previously Pelicans director of college scouting and the Birmingham Squadron’s GM, New Orleans’ G League affiliate. This is his seventh season with the organization.