The New Orleans Pelicans keep running into the same problem: the ball moves, the drive starts, and then the defense shrinks the floor because nobody trusts the jumper. That’s made for a clunky preseason offense, and while some of that lands on Jamahl Mosley, the bigger issue is the roster Joe Dumars put together.
New Orleans is trying to play in a league built around three-point volume and drive-and-kick pressure, but the shot diet hasn’t matched the modern game. Most teams are getting close to 40-plus three-point attempts per preseason game.
The Pelicans, meanwhile, are only up 2.2 attempts from where they were last regular season. They’re 24th in threes attempted per game, even though they’re top-11 in three-point percentage.
The accuracy is there. The volume is not.
That’s why second-round rookie Jaron Pierre Jr. deserves attention.
Pierre Jr., the 58th pick in this past summer’s draft, has looked like the kind of shooter New Orleans badly needs. In his senior season at SMU, he hit 37 percent from three while averaging more than six attempts per game, and that kind of range and willingness has carried over to the preseason. He’s averaging 12.4 minutes per game and has emerged as the Pelicans’ most accurate shooter from deep, connecting on 60 percent of his threes while taking 3.3 attempts per game.
A lot of his offense has come from the perimeter, and that’s the point. More than 70 percent of his field goal attempts and points have come from threes.
He’s knocked them down off the catch, off the dribble, as the trail man, and by working off screens to create a clean look. However the possession is structured, Pierre Jr. has shown he’s ready when the ball finds him outside.
There’s also enough on the other end to make the case more interesting. He’s fourth on the Pelicans in defensive rating among players who have appeared in all three preseason games, second in player impact estimate, and eighth in plus-minus. That matters for a team trying to find help without creating another problem.
The turnovers have been a little noisy - five over three games - but that’s part of the package with a rookie second-round pick. It could be worse.
Pierre Jr. probably isn’t headed for a major opening night role against the Indiana Pacers unless it’s garbage time. Still, with New Orleans searching for shooting and spacing, a 6-foot-5 guard who can provide value without being a drag defensively is at least worth another look.
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 🡒]
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 🡒]
Pelicans Have One Last Chance To Sort Out A Real Rotation Issue
The Pelicans head into their final preseason game against Washington with one more useful chance to sort through the kind of rotation questions that tend to linger right up until opening night. It will also be their first home game under coach Jamahl Mosley, which adds a little more relevance to a matchup that is less about the scoreboard than about which lineups actually make sense together and which combinations the staff can trust once the games count.
With the regular season nearing, this is the stage where New Orleans needs clearer answers on player roles, team chemistry and the strategic approach it wants to lean on early. The backcourt picture already has a wrinkle, and the staff will also be watching how Jeremiah Fears, Yves Missi and Karlo Matkovic fit into the bigger plan as the Pelicans try to leave preseason with a more settled rotation than the one they brought into it. [Read more 🡒]