The New Orleans Pelicans are heading into the 2026-27 season with a new head coach, a slightly changed roster and a pile of questions that still need answers. A lot of eyes will land on Zion Williamson, and for good reason. But he’s hardly the only Pelican walking into a season with something to prove.
Williamson remains the franchise’s biggest swing. His talent has never been the problem.
When he’s healthy and locked in, he’s one of the NBA’s most physically overwhelming and efficient offensive forces. The real question is whether he can become the steady centerpiece New Orleans thought it was getting when it took him No. 1 overall in 2019.
This year is about more than putting up numbers or surviving a full schedule. Williamson has to show he can lead, defend and adjust to the expectations of new coach Jamahl Mosley. The Pelicans need him to shape the identity of the team, not just deliver bursts of high-level scoring.
That puts him at a major crossroads again. If Williamson wants New Orleans - or anyone else - to see him as a true long-term building block, production alone won’t cut it. He has to prove that his game translates into wins.
Availability is the starting point, but it can’t be the finish line. He also has to buy in on defense, stay engaged when the ball isn’t in his hands and become a more dependable presence when games tighten up. Mosley will need him to set the tone for a younger group that includes Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen.
Herb Jones is in a different kind of spotlight, but it’s just as important. He’s already earned a reputation as one of the league’s top perimeter defenders, the kind of player who can take the toughest assignment and handle multiple positions without blinking.
The question now is what he gives New Orleans on the other end. His offensive growth will decide whether he stays the ideal complement or becomes a lineup puzzle the Pelicans have to work around.
The version of Jones New Orleans needs is the one from 2023-24 - the player who took open looks without hesitation, attacked gaps and made opponents pay for ignoring him. That season, he shot 41.8 percent from three-point range and averaged 11 points per game. That kind of perimeter threat changes how defenses can load up on Zion.
If Jones is aggressive and efficient from deep, defenders can’t just crowd Williamson, pack the paint and dare someone else to beat them. Jones’ defense and basketball IQ already give him a strong floor. A steadier offensive game would lift his ceiling and make the Pelicans’ best lineups much easier to build.
Dejounte Murray has his own test to pass. His first two seasons in New Orleans were slowed by injuries, and he played only 45 games over that stretch.
But staying on the floor is only part of the assignment. Even before the injuries, there were questions about his efficiency, his decision-making and his defense.
The Pelicans brought Murray in at a steep price to steer the offense, create cleaner chances for teammates and bring order to a backcourt that didn’t have a true point guard. Now he has to show he can actually do that while rediscovering the defensive edge that made him an All-Star in San Antonio. New Orleans can’t afford another year of inefficient shooting, turnover issues and uneven effort at the point of attack.
Jeremiah Fears makes that challenge even more interesting. Murray isn’t there to block the young guard’s path, but he does have to justify why the Pelicans still need a veteran running the offense. That means managing tempo, keeping things organized when the game gets messy and helping Fears develop without losing his own place in the rotation.
Then there’s Yves Missi, whose tools are obvious enough to get attention. He brings athleticism and defensive upside, but New Orleans needs more than flashes. He has to become a steadier rebounder, interior defender and decision-maker, and he has to show he can hold up against the West’s best centers.
The physical gifts are there. Missi can sprint the floor, finish above the rim and use his length to bother shots.
The next step is turning that into reliable winning basketball. He needs better positioning, fewer unnecessary fouls and more discipline in pick-and-roll coverage.
The Pelicans also need him to actually secure defensive rebounds instead of just contesting shots and hoping someone else cleans it up.
His development matters even more because Derik Queen projects as a more polished offensive player with defensive shortcomings. If Missi can protect the rim, rebound and provide vertical spacing, New Orleans could eventually have two young centers whose strengths fit together. If he doesn’t, the Pelicans will keep facing the same issues against the size and physicality that run through the Western Conference.
Every player on the roster is under pressure after last season’s disappointment, but these four will shape the conversation the most. Williamson carries the heaviest load because the franchise still revolves around him.
Jones and Murray have to show they can fit into a winning core. Missi has to prove he can become part of it.
For New Orleans, the window for patience is shrinking. This season is about proof, not promise.
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Gibson will receive a partial guarantee from the Pelicans, and if he goes unclaimed on waivers hell hit unrestricted free agency. For a team still sorting through the edges of its roster, its a small transaction with potentially bigger ripple effects depending on whether another club decides to take a look. [Read more 🡒]
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Pelicans Are Betting On Bennedict Mathurin In One Crucial Area
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What makes Mathurin especially intriguing is the offensive lane the Pelicans are betting on him to fill. His efficiency and shooting will matter as much as the raw scoring, because his role is likely to be judged by how well he can complement the rest of the roster rather than simply how many shots he takes. For a team looking to sharpen its half-court options, that is a meaningful place to start, even if the exact shape of his impact is still to be determined. [Read more 🡒]