With the 58th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Pelicans select SMU guard Jaron Pierre Jr.
He is a shooting guard who can score at all three levels with some secondary playmaking ability. Pierre Jr is a player who needs to find an offensive identity and enhance his defense and dribble skills.
Pierre Jr. spent six years in college and played in five of them, going back to the 2020-21 season. He began his collegiate career in the Sun Belt Conference with the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, staying there for two seasons, playing in 51 games, and starting in 31 of them.
After failing to reach double-digit scoring in his time in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Pierre Jr entered his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal, taking his talents to Wichita State to be a part of the Shockers program. In his one season there, the 6’5″, 210 lb guard averaged 10.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 72.2 free throw percentage, and a 39.0 field goal percentage in 31 games (22 starts). He then transferred again, this time going to Jacksonville State. The New Orleans native had to sit out a year to fulfill the NCAA transfer residency requirements and preserve a year of eligibility.
In the 2024-25 season, the St. Augustine High School graduate improved significantly as he averaged 21.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 81.0 free throw percentage, 42.4 field goal percentage, and 38.2 three-point percentage in 36 games (36 starts). That productive season helped him be named Conference USA Player of the Year.
SMU was Pierre Jr’s final stop in college. He’d start in 32 out of 34 games and put up a per-game average of 17.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 75.8 free throw percentage, 46.2 field goal percentage, and 37.0 three-point percentage as the Mustangs finished with a 20-14 record and were eliminated in the first four of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
