Snapshot
- Team / status: New Orleans Pelicans 2026 No. 58 pick; draft rights / unsigned as of the July 18 research cut.
- College baseline: 34 games at SMU, 17.6 PTS, 4.9 REB, 2.1 AST and 1.0 STL on .462 FG, .370 from three and .758 FT. SMU roster/stat profile, accessed 2026-07-18
- Summer signal: scored 16 points against Phoenix on July 12. NBA Summer League recap, 2026-07-12
2026-27 conditional projection
This NBA line assumes Pierre signs a two-way or end-of-roster deal. If he remains unsigned, his Pelicans GP and MPG are both zero.
| GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 5 | .395 | .760 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.4 |
Fantasy translation
- Nine-category: 250+; no redraft value before a contract and role exist.
- Points: 250+; Summer League scoring is not a rotation projection.
- Dynasty: 200+ overall; RotoBaller placed him 62nd among 2026 rookies in its July update. RotoBaller, 2026-07-08
Role, floor and ceiling
Floor: New Orleans retains his rights while he plays outside the NBA or elsewhere. Base after a two-way: Birmingham scorer with brief call-ups. Ceiling: he wins a depth-wing role after a trade and supplies 10 points plus one three in 18 minutes. His draft profile emphasizes scoring size more than immediate playmaking. NBA draft profile, accessed 2026-07-18
Transaction monitor
Pierre appears on the official roster surface, but no completed standard or two-way signing announcement was found by July 18. That distinction is why he is excluded from the exact 240-minute allocation. Official roster, accessed 2026-07-18
Research shelf
Career record
Pre-NBA: A six-year, four-school college route, with the scoring arriving very late.
| Season | School | GP | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | STL | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | Southern Miss | 24 | 24.5 | 8.8 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 1.1 | .386 | .337 | .750 |
| 2021-22 | Southern Miss | 27 | 27.5 | 9.9 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 0.6 | .342 | .333 | .760 |
| 2022-23 | Wichita State | 31 | 28.1 | 10.6 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 0.5 | .390 | .282 | .722 |
| 2023-24 | Grambling State | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2024-25 | Jacksonville State | 36 | 37.6 | 21.6 | 5.5 | 3.8 | 0.7 | .424 | .382 | .810 |
| 2025-26 | SMU | 34 | 33.2 | 17.6 | 4.9 | 2.1 | 1.0 | .462 | .370 | .758 |
He sat out 2023-24 after transferring to Grambling State, then broke out at Jacksonville State as 2025 Conference USA Player of the Year and first-team all-conference, including a 36-point game against Middle Tennessee that set the school home record. The SMU year traded volume for efficiency — scoring down four points but field-goal percentage up nearly four points against better competition. Draft: 2026, second round, 58th overall by New Orleans; he is the first New Orleans native the Pelicans have drafted.
NBA record: None. Pierre has not appeared in an NBA regular-season game and, as of July 18, 2026, has not signed a standard or two-way contract — the Pelicans hold his draft rights and he played the 2026 Summer League on that basis. His most recent competitive season is the 2025-26 SMU line above.
Durability: No injury history of note; he played 24 to 36 games in each active college season. The 2023-24 blank is a transfer year, not a medical one.
Trajectory: Two strong late-college seasons after three ordinary ones, which is the profile of a player who improved genuinely and also benefited from a step down in competition before the SMU year re-tested him. He turned 24 in July 2026, old for a rookie, and that compresses the development runway a 58th pick normally gets. The immediate question is not minutes but a contract: until he signs a two-way, his 2026-27 Pelicans games are zero. Even after signing, the base case is Birmingham with short call-ups, and fantasy relevance would require a wing trade plus efficient G League scoring forcing a standard conversion.
Career sources: Wikipedia · SMU roster profile · NBA draft profile · Fox 8 — first New Orleans native drafted by Pelicans · NBA.com player page
Open questions
- Will Pierre sign a two-way, Exhibit 10 or standard contract?
- Does New Orleans plan to retain him in Birmingham or stash his rights?
- Can he create enough for others to earn NBA wing minutes?