The NBA’s 2026-27 schedule drop handed the Pelicans a brutal first assignment right out of the gate.
New Orleans will open the season on Wednesday, October 21, on the road against the Pacers in Indiana, a matchup that immediately puts Jamahl Mosley’s new team under the spotlight. The Pelicans return 14 of 15 players from last season’s roster, with Mosley the lone major addition after taking over as head coach. After a quiet offseason and with Mosley coming off three straight playoff trips in Orlando, the expectation from the fan base is straightforward: this group should be fighting for a postseason spot.
Instead of easing into that chase, the Pelicans get a first-night measuring stick against a team that was one win away from an NBA championship the last time we saw it.
The biggest storyline in this one is Tyrese Haliburton. The Pacers guard is still the key piece to everything Indiana wants to do, and according to a recent article written by Dustin Dopirak of the Indy Star, Haliburton said he expects to be ready.
"I am telling you I'm going to be healthy right now. I feel great.
I'm doing everything. I'm playing pick-up pretty regularly at this point.
I feel great. I will be ready for the season.
If the season was today, I'd be ready,” said Haliburton.
If he’s available, that changes the entire temperature of the matchup for New Orleans. It also raises the degree of difficulty for a Pelicans defense that will be getting its first real look at Mosley’s approach in a live setting.
Indiana’s roster has also changed from its 2025 NBA Finals group, with Myles Turner and Bennedict Mathurin out and Kelly Oubre Jr. and Ivica Zubac in. Those swaps are tied together, and they give the Pacers upgrades in important spots. Zubac’s presence, paired with Pascal Siakam, creates a frontcourt challenge that will put Yves Missi right in the fire in his expected starting role at the five next to Zion Williamson.
That makes this a strong opening test for New Orleans on both ends. Dejounte Murray is the obvious candidate to deal with Haliburton, while the Pelicans’ interior will have to navigate a serious size and skill problem against Zubac and Siakam.
For Zion, it’s also a chance to make an early statement against a proven opponent at his position. The offseason chatter around him has centered on his body transformation, a better pull-up game, and a push to maximize the talent that made him the No. 1 pick.
There may not be a better first look than trying to operate with Siakam and Zubac waiting in the paint.
New Orleans should also have some opportunities on the wing. Indiana doesn’t appear to have elite perimeter defenders capable of consistently slowing down what Trey Murphy III, Saddiq Bey, and Herb Jones can bring from the outside.
Stylistically, this is a compelling opener. The Pacers are expected to play a little slower than they did before Zubac replaced Turner, but Haliburton still wants to get the pace moving whenever he can. Indiana finished with the ninth-best offensive rating in 2025, which gives Mosley a clean early test for the defensive identity he’s expected to bring to New Orleans.
That’s really been the whole conversation around Mosley since the hire: defense. He turned Orlando into an elite unit despite, at best, middling defensive personnel, and the Pelicans are clearly hoping he can pull off something similar in New Orleans.
The Pacers may not be the most intimidating opening-night opponent the league could have given the Pelicans. There will be rust, and there will be chemistry to sort out. But it is still a serious first test, and it should make for a sharp opening night for Pelicans fans.
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