Snapshot
- Team / role: New Orleans Pelicans depth shooting guard / wing; injury-replacement scorer.
- 2025-26 baseline: 42 games, 21.0 MPG, 8.1 PTS, 2.1 REB, 1.5 AST, 0.6 STL, 0.2 BLK and 0.9 threes on .481 FG and .779 FT. NBA team statistics, accessed 2026-07-18
- Depth signal: a July projection placed him second at shooting guard but outside the eight clearest rotation locks, illustrating that depth-chart order does not guarantee nightly minutes. Yahoo, 2026-07-15
2026-27 projection
| GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | 10 | .460 | .780 | 0.4 | 4.1 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.4 |
Correction 2026-07-18 Raised from 44 GP x 9 MPG as part of closing the team board's 1,608-minute shortfall. McGowens remains outside the healthy-night ten and is a contender for the contested tenth slot alongside Hawkins and Poole.
Fantasy translation
- Nine-category: 230+; not draftable in standard leagues.
- Points: 230+; only an injury-streaming option.
- Dynasty: 220+; deep-roster hold if a manager believes a trade opens the wing room.
Role, floor and ceiling
Floor: DNP-CDs and fewer than 300 NBA minutes. Ceiling: 18 minutes and 8–10 points if Jordan Poole or Jordan Hawkins moves and the veteran core misses time. McGowens's path is cleaner at shooting guard than at forward because Trey Murphy III and Saddiq Bey dominate wing scoring minutes.
Injury and transaction monitor
McGowens appears in the 14-player standard-contract group through July 18. Official roster, accessed 2026-07-18 The desk found no newly reported carryover injury; role security is the principal risk.
Career record
Pre-NBA: One season at Nebraska (2021-22), born November 8, 2002 and listed at 6-6, 190. He averaged 16.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists across 31 games on 40.3% shooting, earning third-team All-Big Ten and All-Freshman Team honors on a losing team. Draft: 2022, second round, 40th overall by Minnesota; rights traded to Charlotte on draft night.
| Season | Age | Team | GP | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG% | FT% | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 20 | CHA | 46 | 17.1 | 5.3 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.6 | .396 | .750 | 0.9 |
| 2023-24 | 21 | CHA | 59 | 14.9 | 5.1 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.6 | .439 | .776 | 0.5 |
| 2024-25 | 22 | POR | 13 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .286 | .833 | 0.3 |
| 2025-26 | 23 | NO | 42 | 21.0 | 8.1 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.9 | .481 | .779 | 0.4 |
| Career | 160 | 16.1 | 5.6 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.6 | .438 | .771 | 0.6 |
Durability: Games played have been governed by contract status, not health. Charlotte converted him to a standard four-year deal in February 2023 and waived him in July 2024; Portland's 2024-25 two-way produced 13 appearances at 2.5 minutes, essentially G League work with Rip City Remix; New Orleans signed him to a two-way in July 2025, played him 42 games at 21 minutes, and converted him to a three-year, $6.2 million standard contract on February 20, 2026. He has also logged G League time with Greensboro and Birmingham.
Trajectory: The 2025-26 season is the first evidence he can shoot at NBA level — 48.1% from the field and 40.9% from three on 0.9 makes, against 32.5% and 33.3% in his two Charlotte years, with turnovers held to 0.4 in 21 minutes. That is a real jump, and New Orleans paid for it, but it rests on a 42-game sample with low three-point volume. He is a scoring reserve without defensive events or rebounds, so the fantasy case is entirely minutes-driven and he is behind Trey Murphy III, Saddiq Bey, Jordan Poole and Jordan Hawkins on the wing. He becomes streamable if one of Poole or Hawkins is traded and a second wing is hurt at the same time — the exact condition that produced the 21-minute role last season.
Career sources: ESPN career stats · Wikipedia · NBA player page
Open questions
- Is McGowens actually in Mosley's opening-night top ten?
- Does another guard trade create a repeat of his 21-minute 2025-26 role?
- Can he add enough threes or steals to matter without scoring volume?