The Pelicans’ season opener on Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers gives Jamahl Mosley an immediate test, and the assignment is pretty straightforward: get New Orleans moving in the right direction right away.
That matters because this group has been here before. After back-to-back seasons under 30 wins, and with much of the roster still in place, another slow beginning would be inviting the same old problems.
Last year, New Orleans stumbled out to an 0-6 start and moved on from Willie Green after only 12 games. Mosley’s challenge is to make sure that history doesn’t repeat itself.
What he’s trying to build starts with the habits that showed up in the preseason. New Orleans went 3-1, and defense was the clearest positive.
Dejounte Murray, who watched the last two games from the sideline after injuring his toe, made that point plainly to reporters this week: “We was guarding. We was guarding,” Murray told the local media.
“I think that’s most important…You don’t get bored or content doing great things.”
That side of the ball is where Mosley has made his name. During his time in Orlando, he guided the Magic to top-three defenses in two of his last three seasons there. New Orleans has also found its best footing under Willie Green when the defense was elite, so if Mosley can restore that edge, he gives the Pelicans their cleanest path back into relevance.
The biggest issues are easy to identify. The paint has been a problem, and so has the glass.
New Orleans ranked 25th in opponent points in the paint last season and 28th in defensive rebounding percentage. The front office never landed the defensive center many expected it to chase in free agency, which leaves the responsibility on the players already in house.
That means Zion Williamson and Derik Queen are part of the solution. Mosley has already made it clear he believes Williamson has the tools to be much better on that end. “He’s too gifted, too athletic, too strong, too with a high basketball IQ to not be able to defend some of the best players in this league," Mosley said.
Mosley has also started laying down the tone he expects every night. After the preseason game against the Washington Wizards, he put it bluntly: “it’s going to be a dog fight every time you step into this building.”
His method for managing the season is different, too. Rather than leaning on broad 10-game judgments, Mosley said he wants to break things into shorter stretches and evaluate them more like playoff basketball.
"I'm not doing 10-game sample sizes. I won't do that," Mosley said. "We will break it down more into five-game segments, treating it like a series."
He added, "You can understand what you did well within that series. Analyzing our offense, analyzing our defense, the different lineups. I think that will be something to look at for our guys to see what we are doing well and what we can improve on."
That kind of tighter focus could help the Pelicans catch problems before they snowball. Last season, the 0-6 start buried the team early, and Mosley is trying to make sure Wednesday night becomes the beginning of something different rather than the first step toward another long climb out of a hole.
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Pacers Open The Season With A Problem They Didn't Want
The Pacers are opening the season with an early lineup wrinkle they would have preferred to avoid, and it arrives in a spot where they were counting on continuity. With Aaron Nesmith unavailable at small forward, Indiana will have to adjust on the wing right away, with Kelly Oubre Jr. expected to step into the role and more minutes likely available for Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard.
The backcourt depth chart has its own concern, too, with T.J. McConnell still working back from a hamstring strain after missing the entire preseason. For a team trying to settle into its rotation quickly, the opening night absences mean the Pacers will have to lean on depth sooner than planned and hope the short-term patchwork does not turn into a longer-term problem. [Read more 🡒]
Yves Missi Faces Early Pelicans Test That Could Shake Up Rotation
Yves Missi is set to open the season as the Pelicans starting center, and the early schedule is not exactly handing him a soft landing. New Orleans is asking the young big man to handle tough matchups against some of the leagues best centers right away, which makes his defensive footing an immediate storyline for a team trying to settle its frontcourt rotation.
The Pelicans are also putting a clear evaluation process around the spot, with head coach Jamahl Mosley looking closely at how Missi holds up out of the gate. If the defensive end becomes a problem, New Orleans has other options it can turn to, which gives the first stretch of the season a little extra weight for a position that could quickly become fluid. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Already Have A Derik Queen Question They Cant Ignore
Derik Queen gave the Pelicans something to think about in preseason, and not just because of the board work. Over four games, the rookie showed he can rebound at a high level, finishing with 8.8 per game, while also flashing enough playmaking to keep the ball moving. But the offensive output was uneven, with just 5.8 points a night on 33.3% shooting, the kind of start that leaves coaches weighing his strengths against the parts of his game that still need polish.
The passing numbers only added to the conversation, with Queen posting nine assists and nine turnovers as he tried to find his rhythm in Jamahl Mosleys system. At the same time, Jeremiah Fears continued to build momentum by leading New Orleans in preseason scoring and looking more comfortable in command of the offense, a contrast that sharpens the question around how Queen fits as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]