The New Orleans Pelicans wrapped up preseason with a 107-106 win over the Washington Wizards, and attention now shifts to opening night against the Indiana Pacers. One of the biggest questions hanging over the roster is who Jamahl Mosley will use in his first starting five.
Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III feel like near-locks for two of those spots, and Jeremiah Fears is expected to handle the point. That leaves the center position as the real debate, with Derik Queen, Karlo Matkovic, and Yves Missi all having a case.
Matkovic brings spacing, Queen has the rebounding numbers, and Missi offers the more traditional big-man package. Any of the three could be argued into the job, but based on how the preseason ended, Missi looks like the likeliest choice to start against Indiana.
In the finale, Missi put up six points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes, hitting 3-of-5 from the field. More importantly, he looked steady in a way he hadn’t for much of preseason.
That matters because his first few games were rough. After what he showed with his national team this summer, expectations for Year 3 were high.
He flashed better ball skills and more comfort switching defensively, but that version didn’t really show up here. Instead, he often looked out of place in Mosley’s new offensive system and shaky on defense, especially in the first two preseason games.
For stretches, he looked like the energy big he was originally projected to be.
Still, the later preseason run changed the tone. Missi made the simple plays, stayed within himself, protected the rim, rebounded, and finished efficiently. He also supplied the kind of easy offense you want from a center, whether that came as a lob target or cleaning up around the basket.
There are still fit questions with Missi and Zion Williamson in the frontcourt on both ends, but the two do have some rapport that carries value. And there’s another clue here: Mosley started Missi in all four preseason games. After doing that all month, it would be a surprise to pivot to someone else when the games count.
Queen has also helped himself with the second unit, and it doesn’t sound like Mosley wants to mess with that arrangement either. So while center may not be the spot the Pelicans feel best about, the direction does seem pretty straightforward.
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