Jordan Poole enters the Pelicans’ preseason with more to prove than he did when he first landed in New Orleans. The idea was simple enough: bring in a scorer who could give the offense another gear.
Now the assignment is much less glamorous. He has to earn his way into the rotation.
That is a real shift for a 27-year-old former champion in the final season of his contract. Poole still has the talent to keep his NBA future moving, but the next deal and the next role will hinge on something more basic: can he turn flashes into dependable production?
New Orleans will get its first fresh look under Jamahl Mosley, and preseason is the stage where Poole can make that count.
His career since leaving Golden State has been uneven. But the Washington chapter was not empty, either.
After a rough first season with the Wizards, he put up 20.5 points per game in 2024-25 and hit a career-high 37.8% from three. The Wizards were still one of the league’s worst teams, but Poole did show he could provide real offensive value.
That version of him is the one the Pelicans believed they were getting when they sent CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk to Washington. His shooting range and his ability to attack a moving defense were supposed to fit cleanly next to Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III.
It just never came together that way in his first year with New Orleans.
Poole appeared in 39 games and started only eight. He averaged 13.4 points while shooting 37.2% overall and 33.3% from deep. The role bounced around, but the production never got close to the level New Orleans needed from a shooting upgrade.
The contrast inside that trade is hard to miss now. Saddiq Bey, the other player who came over, averaged 17.7 points and landed a three-year, $55.5 million extension.
One player has already secured his place in the franchise’s plans. The other is still fighting for minutes.
That does not mean Poole is out of chances. It does mean the road is steeper.
The Pelicans still need shooting, but the competition around him is tighter than it was a year ago. Dejounte Murray is healthy again, and with Jeremiah Fears, New Orleans has ball handlers.
Herb Jones brings perimeter defense. The team also added Bennedict Mathurin as another scoring option, while Bryce McGowens, who shot 40.9% from three in 2025-26, can push for minutes as a specialist.
For Poole, the path forward is pretty clear. He needs to be useful even when the jumper is not falling.
Space the floor without hijacking the possession. Drift into the right spots when Williamson drives.
Be ready when Murphy pulls defenders. Attack a closeout, then move the ball before the defense resets.
He will get chances to create off the dribble, too. The trick is knowing when that creativity helps the offense and when it slows everything down.
Defense will matter just as much in Mosley’s eyes. Poole has to stay locked in off the ball, follow the plan, and provide enough resistance that his scoring is not erased on the other end.
The preseason questions go beyond points. Can he share the floor with Fears without taking over?
Can he consistently create space? Can he stay connected defensively after a missed shot?
A strong shooting night might get fans talking. Answering those questions is what would actually earn him minutes.
There is money on the line, too. Poole is due roughly $34 million this season before reaching free agency in 2027. That salary does not buy him security, either now or beyond this year.
It does make him a possible trade piece for New Orleans. And for Poole, playing well would help separate his value as a player from the flexibility his contract gives the team.
Preseason will not decide his whole career. But it can shape whether he begins this season with a real shot to change it.
If Mosley finds a role for him, Poole gets a platform to rebuild confidence and usefulness. If he stays outside the regular rotation, proving he can help another team becomes much harder.
Bey already turned his side of the deal into stability. Poole still has a chance to make the original gamble look smart.
It begins with showing he can help the Pelicans right now.
In Other News...
Pelicans Debut Under Jahmal Mosley Brought Promise And Two Clear Concerns
Jahmal Mosleys first look at the Pelicans came with enough encouraging signs to make the preseason opener feel worthwhile, even in a game that was more about process than result. New Orleans knocked off Oklahoma City 116-110, and the mix of starters and bench players gave the new staff a chance to see how the pieces fit, with the reserve group helping fuel a pivotal run that shifted the games tone.
Still, the film likely will not be all flattering. The Pelicans had visible defensive lapses at times and some familiar problems at the free throw line, two areas that can quietly shape games once the games start counting. On the brighter side, Zion Williamson even took and made a few three-pointers, a small but notable sign of how the offense may continue to stretch under this setup while the team sorts out the rough edges. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Bench Just Raised An Early Concern About The Starters
One preseason game is hardly a verdict, but it was easy to see why the Pelicans left with an early question mark on the starting group. The opening unit struggled to establish rhythm, while the second unit came in with better pace and crisper ball movement, giving New Orleans a much cleaner look on both ends.
The encouraging part is that the bench showed real signs of depth, with several reserve players making a case for larger roles. The tougher part is sorting out whether the starters were simply out of sync for one night or if the team will need more consistent production from that group once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Got An Early Look At One Depth Battle That Matters
The preseason meeting with Oklahoma City gave the Pelicans a useful early glimpse at how some of the rosters younger pieces might fit into the broader picture. In a 116-110 win, New Orleans got to watch a Thunder group packed with rookies and other young players handle a bigger workload than usual, which is exactly the sort of setting teams use to sort through depth questions before the games start to count.
Jaron Pierre Jr. was part of that look for New Orleans, coming off the bench and turning in a modest showing in limited minutes. For a Pelicans team trying to identify who can help beyond the established rotation, these early exhibitions matter less for the final score than for the competition they reveal, and this one offered a first pass at a depth battle that could carry real weight later on. [Read more 🡒]