The New Orleans Pelicans are heading into next season with almost the same roster, which makes last year’s on-court combinations worth a closer look. With a new coaching staff set to shuffle the pieces, the real question is whether this group can finally find the right fit.
Databallr’s lineup data, which removes garbage-time minutes, points to one trio that worked and one that really didn’t.
The strongest three-man group the Pelicans had last season was Saddiq Bey, Herb Jones and Zion Williamson, who posted a +3.3 net rating. It was the only trio in the group to finish in positive territory, and it fits the idea that New Orleans still has enough talent to compete if the right pieces are on the floor together.
That combination makes sense on paper and on the court. None of the three is turnover-prone, all three can help in transition, and each one brings something that can turn defense into offense.
Bey gives the Pelicans a three-level scorer who doesn’t give the ball away much. Jones brings defense that creates chances the other way, plus a little shooting.
Williamson remains one of the league’s most efficient scorers in the paint.
That kind of blend is exactly what the new staff is expected to lean into. Jamahl Mosley and the Pelicans leadership believe there’s still a competitive team here, but the challenge is getting the right mix around those kinds of players. New Orleans has also been trying to find another player like Micah Peavy, who would fit well alongside that type of group.
At the other end of the list was Trey Murphy, Derik Queen and Zion Williamson, a trio that finished at -11.4 net rating. That’s the one that should concern New Orleans the most, especially because it’s difficult to pin much of it on Murphy.
The Queen-Williamson minutes were the problem, and Joe Dumars has said he wants to give the pairing more time to develop. Even so, that only works if the players show growth. As it stands, this is a frontcourt that can be attacked on defense and can get bogged down on offense because of the spacing issues.
Queen will need to keep expanding his game, and Williamson has to move past being a one-level scoring threat if this group is going to work. For the Pelicans, the lineup numbers from last season make the mission pretty clear: keep the right combinations together, and avoid the ones that stall everything out.
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