The New Orleans Pelicans are heading into the season with a roster that looks a lot like the one that won just 26 games last year, and that alone tells you where the pressure points are. The offseason stayed quiet, the schedule is out, and the same old issues still hang over a team that did not make the kind of changes many fans were hoping for.
The most obvious problem sits in the middle. New Orleans does not have much trustworthy starting center depth, and the group set to handle the five includes Yves Missi, Karlo Matkovic, and DeAndre Jordan. That’s a thin safety net for a team that got hammered inside a year ago.
The Pelicans finished 25th in opponent points in the paint last season and gave up more than 53 points per game in the restricted area. A big reason was the small-ball approach, including lineups that put Zion Williamson and Derik Queen on the floor together. The defensive numbers with those two were ugly, and the roster still doesn’t offer many better answers.
New Orleans also chose not to address that need in a meaningful way. Instead, the team brought back 37-year-old DeAndre Jordan on a two-year deal. That points to another season with plenty of undersized lineups, and that’s a dangerous place to be when bigger teams can lean on their size.
Then there’s the shooting problem. The modern NBA runs on perimeter volume and accuracy, but the Pelicans were near the bottom of the league last season in three-point attempts, three-point makes, and three-point percentage. Among their top eight scorers, only two shot better than 35% from deep.
That matters even more with Williamson on the floor. His inside game demands space, and without enough shooting around him, defenses can crowd the paint and make life miserable. If the Pelicans can’t stretch the floor, opponents will keep loading up around the basket and force New Orleans to beat them from outside.
The third issue is overlap. There are a lot of similar pieces on this roster, especially on the wing and in the backcourt. Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Saddiq Bey, Micah Peavy, Bryce McGowens, and Jordan Hawkins all saw meaningful time last season, and that’s before getting to the two expensive guards.
Jordan Poole and Dejounte Murray are both set to make more than $30 million this season, but Murray’s recovery from an Achilles injury last year left plenty unresolved about how the two fit together. Add in Jeremiah Fears after his impressive rookie season, and the Pelicans have a crowded guard room with a lot of players chasing minutes and touches.
Poole’s deal is expiring, which gives New Orleans some flexibility if the season goes off the rails early. He could become a trade candidate before the deadline if the record pushes the team in that direction.
Financially, the Pelicans are about $8 million below the luxury tax and plan to stay there, since they have never paid into it. That means the rotation puzzle lands on Jamahl Mosley, who will have to sort through the logjam and figure out how all these pieces fit as the season unfolds.
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Pelicans Face Early Pressure In Jamahl Mosleys First Season
The Pelicans enter Oct. 21 with a new voice on the sideline in Jamahl Mosley and a clear sense of urgency after missing the playoffs in each of the past two seasons. Mosley arrives from Orlando with the task of stabilizing a team that needs to reset quickly, and the early portion of the schedule does not offer much room to ease into that transition.
New Orleans will have to navigate one of the leagues more demanding slates, including 16 back-to-backs, a seven-game road trip and a pair of games in Europe. Even the home calendar carries some pressure points, with holiday dates sprinkled in throughout the year, so the Pelicans will be tested on every front before they can start thinking about a return to the postseason. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Schedule Sets The Stage For Jamahl Mosleys Most Pressured Year
The NBAs release of the 2026-27 schedule gives the Pelicans an early look at how Jamahl Mosleys first season on the bench will unfold, and the slate comes with no shortage of pressure points. From opening-night buzz to a run of matchups that should tell a lot about where New Orleans stands in the West, the calendar is already hinting at a year where every stretch matters, especially with the team trying to establish a new identity under a first-time coach in New Orleans.
The most interesting part of the schedule is how many of those games come with extra baggage, whether it is familiar opponents, player returns or the kind of playoff-caliber tests that tend to shape a season before the trade deadline even arrives. Mosley will not only be judged on wins and losses, but on how quickly the Pelicans settle into his system and whether the roster he opens with is still the one he has when the season reaches its most important checkpoint. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Face A Zion Decision Fans Never Wanted
The offseason chatter around Zion Williamson has shifted into a more uncomfortable place for New Orleans, with Houston now being mentioned as a team that could make a serious push if it decides to reshape its roster. The Rockets are weighing a blend of win-now moves and future-minded planning, and reports have linked that thinking to a possible pursuit of Williamson, whose talent still makes him one of the leagues most tantalizing trade chips.
For the Pelicans, the timing only adds to the sting. Williamson remains the face of the franchise conversation, but every rumor involving him carries the same familiar tension between upside and availability, especially for a team that has spent years trying to build around his ceiling. If Houston gets aggressive, New Orleans may have to confront the kind of decision it has long hoped it would not need to make. [Read more 🡒]