With the playoffs officially out of reach and the season winding down, the New Orleans Pelicans aren’t trying to reinvent themselves in these final weeks. Instead, under interim head coach James Borrego, the focus is on something far more grounded: progress.
Not dramatic overhauls, not flashy schemes-just incremental, meaningful improvement. For a young team that’s been battered by injuries and inconsistency, that’s the mission.
And the blueprint? It’s borrowed from one of the best in the business.
Borrego, a longtime disciple of Gregg Popovich from his days in San Antonio, is leaning into a philosophy that’s less about complexity and more about clarity. Keep it simple.
Let players play. Trust instincts.
For a team that’s spent much of the season searching for rhythm, that message is starting to resonate.
“Learning from (Popovich) in the San Antonio world, we tried to keep it as simple as possible back then,” Borrego said. “I still think that resonates today.
The less complicated your schemes are, the better. What trumps all to me is physicality, aggression, keep it simple, and let players play off instinct.”
That mindset might not turn the Pelicans into contenders overnight, but it’s exactly the kind of recalibration they need right now. With Zion Williamson still leading the charge, and young talents like Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears finding their footing, Borrego’s approach is about stripping things down to the essentials. This team doesn’t need more X’s and O’s-they need fewer mistakes, better decisions, and a commitment to the basics.
Turnovers have been a glaring issue all season, often leading to easy transition buckets for the opposition. And while some of those giveaways show up on the stat sheet, others-like blocked shots at the rim after poor decision-making-don’t. But Borrego sees them all the same: missed opportunities that feed the other team’s momentum.
“No doubt it’s holding on to the ball, not turning it over, and shot selection,” Borrego emphasized. “A lot of our poor shots at the rim lead to transition the other way.
Whether it’s getting blocked… I know it doesn’t show up in the stat sheet as a turnover, but a bad shot at the rim that’s getting blocked is basically a turnover going the other direction. So, shot selection in the paint is massive for us.
Not turning it over. If we do those two things, we’re giving ourselves a better shot in the half-court defense.
If we can get our defense set, much better.”
That’s the formula: value possessions, take smart shots, and play tough, disciplined defense. It might not be glamorous, but it’s the kind of basketball that builds habits-and habits are what this season is now about.
With the All-Star break approaching and the postseason out of reach, the Pelicans are shifting their focus from results to identity. Every game from here on out is a chance to lay the groundwork for what comes next.
This isn’t about chasing a miracle run to the Play-In Tournament. It’s about establishing a foundation that can support a real push next season.
And if the Pelicans can close out the year by committing to those core principles-protecting the ball, playing with physicality, and trusting their instincts-they may not rack up many more wins, but they’ll be doing something just as important: building a team that knows who it is and how it wants to play.
For a franchise that’s been stuck in neutral, that’s the kind of progress that matters.