Since coming to the New Orleans Pelicans in a trade last month, Stanley Johnson hasn’t been able to get anything going on the court. Is he a piece worth keeping around for the future?

Stanley Johnson came over to the New Orleans Pelicans in the trade package the Milwaukee Bucks sent over in exchange for Nikola Mirotic early last month. At just 22 years of age, the fourth year wing from the University of Arizona seemed like the type of player worth taking a chance on for a rebuilding team like the Pelicans. However, in almost a full month with the team, Johnson has yet to make a significant impact in New Orleans.

In ten games with the New Orleans Pelicans, Stanley Johnson has only seen 10 or more minutes a paltry three times. Head Coach Alvin Gentry has experimented a bit with Johnson, even running him at the point guard position at times to see what he can do in that role. Still, Johnson overall has not been able to get anything going at all for the Pelicans.

In these ten games, Johnson is a disappointing 8 of 23 from the field. While that’s clearly a poor percentage, it’s even more concerning that he simply is not getting the chance at all to take shots in general, averaging just over 2 total field goal attempts per game. He’s typically regarded as more of a defensive player, but he’s only recorded 3 steals with the Pelicans and is yet to block a single shot.

Now, this criticism is admittedly a bit unfair. It takes time for a player to get acclimated to a new locker room, coach, city, and system. And with the meager amount of minutes he’s given, he shouldn’t really be expected to put up any sort of significant stats.

Still, it’s a bit telling that Gentry gives healthy minutes to young guys like Cheick Diallo, Kenrich Williams, and Frank Jackson but doesn’t really even give Stanley Johnson an opportunity to prove his worth.

Stanley Johnson is young and has the body type and athleticism to be a nice rotational wing. To this point in his career, things have yet to work out for him, but getting a change of scenery with the New Orleans Pelicans could help him turn things around. It’s not happening yet, but it’s still too soon for the Pelicans to completely give up on him, especially with his small contract. Here’s to hoping Stanley can get something going soon.