The New Orleans Pelicans’ preseason finale against Washington is less about the scoreboard than the clues it can offer.
Friday’s game will be the first time New Orleans takes the floor at the Smoothie King Center under Jamahl Mosley, coming after a 101-97 win over Dallas that hinted at better defense but came against a depleted Mavericks group that limited the takeaway. Now the Pelicans are trying to narrow down how they want to play once the games start to matter.
A lot of that starts with the rotation, and the starting five may not tell the whole story. The first substitutions and the combinations Mosley leans on could matter more than who opens the game.
The real questions are how he handles ballhandling duties, how he separates players who need touches, and whether he keeps enough shooting around the creators. Wing minutes are another piece to track, especially with Herb Jones, Bennedict Mathurin, and Saddiq Bey all in the mix.
Dejounte Murray’s toe injury adds another layer to the backcourt picture, and availability along with planned rest could make Friday look unlike a standard regular-season night. Still, the groups Mosley keeps returning to should be the most revealing part. If the same units keep popping up, that says more than the starting lineup ever could.
Jeremiah Fears also deserves a close look after finishing with 16 points, five assists, and three steals in 20 minutes against Dallas. The scoring has jumped off the page, but his ability to run an offense may be even more important.
When defenders go under screens, does he take the jumper? When help arrives, can he hit the rolling big or the open wing?
After he gives the ball up, does he stay engaged in the play?
That next step is about making life easier for teammates without dialing back his aggression. Another strong outing would only strengthen his case for a bigger role, especially if it comes from smart, controlled decisions instead of tough shotmaking.
Yves Missi’s four blocks against Dallas gave New Orleans a real interior presence, but rim protection only works if the whole defense is connected. The Pelicans need the perimeter to hold up first, the help to arrive on time, and the rebound to be secured after the miss.
An open Washington jumper isn’t the kind of stop that should count as success. The process is what matters: communication, discipline, and fewer plays that force someone else to clean up a mess.
There’s also the frontcourt shooting angle, and Karlo Matkovic gave a small but useful reminder by going 3-for-3 from deep against Dallas. Missi brings finishing and shot-blocking.
Derik Queen brings passing and interior touch. Mosley has to figure out when each skill set makes the most sense.
The bigger lineup question comes when Zion Williamson is on the floor. The Pelicans need to know whether the other big creates space for his drives or adds another body to the paint. They also need to see whether that same group opens things up for Trey Murphy III and whether it can still rebound and protect the rim at a high enough level.
That’s the common thread here: New Orleans needs lineups that solve more problems than they create.
Friday won’t answer everything. But it should help the Pelicans leave with a better sense of which groups fit, and what those groups can actually do.
In Other News...
Mavericks Make Another Early Camp Cut As Roster Decisions Begin
Training camp churn is underway around the league, and the Pelicans have added another familiar name back into the mix by re-signing center Hunter Dickinson on a non-guaranteed camp deal with Exhibit 10 language. It is the kind of transaction that comes with this part of the calendar, when teams begin sorting out the edges of their rosters and giving players one more chance to stay in the pipeline.
Around the NBA, the moves are already piling up as San Antonio signed Kendall Brown, Sacramento brought in David Muoka and Dallas requested waivers on Jorge Diaz Graham. Most of these signings are designed to set up an early exit before opening night, but for New Orleans, Dickinsons return at least keeps him in the conversation as roster decisions start to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Shooting Woes Are Putting One Rookie In The Spotlight
The Pelicans have spent much of the preseason working through the same familiar issue: not enough floor spacing, not enough consistent threat from beyond the arc, and not enough volume to make defenses pay. In that setting, second-round rookie Jaron Pierre Jr. has quietly become worth watching, because his skill set addresses exactly what the roster has lacked. He has shown a clean shooting touch in limited minutes and looks like the kind of perimeter option that could help the second unit create a little more room to operate.
Pierre Jr.s case is less about headline numbers than fit, and that is what makes him interesting for New Orleans heading into the regular season. The Pelicans can use any reliable shooting they can find, especially from a young player who has handled his preseason opportunities well, but the bigger question is how quickly that translates into a real role. For now, he has done enough to make the conversation about rotation depth and bench shooting worth keeping an eye on. [Read more 🡒]
Kellen Moore Faces A Defining Saints Test As Pressure Keeps Mounting
The Saints head into their meeting with the Giants at 1-4, and the spotlight on offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has only grown brighter. New Orleans has struggled to find any consistent rhythm on offense, and the challenge now is making sure Tyler Shough is kept upright while the unit finds a cleaner, more efficient way to move the ball. For a team already dealing with an uneven start, every possession feels more important than the last.
Chris Olave and Alvin Kamara remain key names to watch as the game plan takes shape, since their availability could help determine how much Moore can lean into the offense he wants to run. The bigger picture is clear for the Saints: they need a sharper showing now, not later, with the pressure building around a unit that has yet to deliver enough. [Read more 🡒]