NEW ORLEANS — A new coach can change the language around a team quickly. Changing its place in the standings takes longer.
The Pelicans enter 2026–27 after a 26–56 season. Jamahl Mosley’s arrival gives them a new voice and a chance to establish clearer expectations.
Their 3–1 preseason provides encouragement. It also offers a useful reality check: across four games, New Orleans scored 442 points and allowed 441, a combined margin of just plus-one. That figure is calculated from the four final scores, not presented as a regular-season forecast.
The Pelicans showed they could win close exhibitions. Now they have to build habits that survive better scouting, tighter rotations and tired legs.
The starting point
| Measure | Entering 2026–27 |
|---|---|
| Previous regular season | 26–56 |
| Preseason record | 3–1 |
| Preseason results | OKC: W 116–110; Miami: L 118–128; Dallas: W 101–97; Washington: W 107–106 |
| Opening night | Oct. 21 vs. Indiana, 7 p.m. Central |
| Published back-to-backs | 16 |
| Longest scheduled road trip | 7 games, Jan. 30–Feb. 10 |
Sources: NBA.com, the published schedule, the official team podcast and the schedule release. Two Cup-dependent regular-season games remain to be assigned.
What is new—and what still needs to change
Mosley is the most consequential change because his work touches every possession. The roster also includes newcomers Bennedict Mathurin, AJ Johnson, Trendon Watford and Jaron Pierre Jr. [3]
Keeping Saddiq Bey matters, too. New Orleans extended him for a reported three years and $55.5 million after a season in which he averaged 17.7 points. That investment should make the wing competition a serious basketball decision. [4]
The larger question is how the pieces work together. Adding another scorer does little if the lineup cannot get stops. Adding another ballhandler does little if everyone needs to hold the ball.
This team needs defined jobs, complementary combinations and a coach willing to change a lineup when its performance demands it.
Mosley’s philosophy has to become visible behavior
The club’s reporting highlighted defensive progress in the Dallas preseason win. That is an encouraging starting point.
A durable defensive identity requires more than activity, however. New Orleans needs to contain the first drive, help without abandoning every shooter, communicate through screens and collect the rebound after forcing a miss.
Herb Jones can lead that effort. He cannot complete every assignment for everyone else.
Defensive rebounding should be treated as a habit to sustain and measure. Track the share of available defensive rebounds secured and the second chances conceded; raw rebounds per game are affected by pace and missed shots.
On offense, the useful version of pace begins with a rebound, an early pass and a decisive attack. Rushing into a turnover is a different outcome. The ball should move when the first advantage disappears, with players cutting and relocating instead of waiting for the next isolation.
Zion, Trey and Herb define the two-way standard
Zion Williamson remains the player who can put the greatest immediate pressure on the paint. The most useful possessions get him attacking before the defense is comfortably arranged, then give him clear passing options when help arrives.
His defensive contribution must carry similar purpose: timely help, committed recovery and a body on someone when the shot goes up. His value to this team has to extend across the possession.
Trey Murphy III should be central to the offense’s spacing and decision-making. New Orleans needs more than occasional touches for its premier perimeter scoring threat. Actions that force defenders to follow him can create room for everyone else.
Herb Jones connects the defense, but the offensive fit matters as well. Purposeful cuts and quick decisions can keep defenders from treating his matchup as permission to crowd Zion.
Those three need a partnership that makes the floor easier to understand for the guards and centers around them.
Murray, Fears and Poole: the ball cannot belong to everyone at once
Dejounte Murray’s availability is an early concern. Reuters reported a toe contusion, and the Pelicans’ October 16 update ruled him out of the preseason finale. His opening-night status should be checked against the fresh game report.
When available, Murray offers a route to more organized possessions. He should help the team recognize when to push and when to get into an action everyone understands.
Jeremiah Fears averaged 13.3 points in preseason, reaching double figures in all four appearances. His development should be measured in the quality of his reads as well as his scoring: when he attacks, when he delivers the pass and how he responds after a mistake.
Jordan Poole’s role needs similar clarity. His shooting and creation can help a second unit. Those benefits have to be weighed against ball security, shot selection and the defensive demands of each lineup.
Staggering their minutes is a practical starting point. Regularly using all three together would require a strong answer for perimeter size, defensive coverage and who plays without the ball.
Bey, Mathurin and the frontcourt create real rotation choices
Bey’s case should be judged on shooting, physicality and lineup results. Mathurin gives Mosley another player to evaluate as an attacking wing. Neither should need a particular starting label to contribute meaningfully.
The centers present a different choice. Yves Missi’s fit begins with screening, finishing, protecting the basket and ending defensive possessions. Derik Queen offers a route to more offense through a skilled interior decision-maker, with defensive execution central to how much responsibility he can handle.
| Rotation piece | Most useful assignment | What must hold up |
|---|---|---|
| Missi | Screens, rim finishes and paint protection | Positioning and defensive rebounds |
| Queen | Interior creation and connecting passes | Coverage decisions and effort after mistakes |
| Bey / Mathurin | Complementary wing scoring | Ball movement and defensive reliability |
| Watford / Matković | Frontcourt flexibility and useful bench minutes | Matchup execution |
| DeAndre Jordan | Veteran depth and communication | Effectiveness in the role available |
| AJ Johnson / McGowens / Pierre | Compete for opportunities | Simple, dependable possessions |
Roster membership is confirmed; the assignments above are editorial analysis, not an announced rotation.
Mosley’s leadership will be tested when those choices disappoint someone. Clear explanations, consistent standards and timely adjustments will matter more than finding minutes for every résumé.
The schedule will test conditioning immediately
The Pelicans open with Indiana, then visit Utah on October 23 and Denver on October 24. Their next two games are another back-to-back: Denver at home October 28 and Sacramento October 29.
That makes the first five games an immediate test of preparation and depth.
| Schedule test | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Oct. 23–24: at Utah, at Denver | Consecutive nights at altitude |
| Oct. 28–29: Denver, Sacramento | A second back-to-back within the first five games |
| Nov. 20–21: at Oklahoma City, at San Antonio | A demanding road pair against Western leaders |
| Dec. 16–23: five-game homestand | A chance to build home consistency, including New York, San Antonio and OKC |
| Jan. 14 and 17: Spurs in Paris and Manchester | International travel and disrupted routines |
| Jan. 30–Feb. 10: seven-game road trip | Sustained execution away from home |
Dates and opponents: published schedule and team release.
The 16 scheduled back-to-backs make conditioning a basketball issue. Can players sprint back after a turnover, communicate on the next possession and still make a disciplined decision late in the game?
The coaching and performance staffs need useful bench options before fatigue forces their hand. Recovery, practice workload and minutes distribution should be planned together. The Europe trip adds another reason to prepare the rotation early.
The Southwest is no shortcut
San Antonio and Houston set a demanding divisional standard. Dallas and Memphis have changed enough that last season’s assumptions need updating.
| Team | Entering-season context | Pelicans’ challenge — analysis |
|---|---|---|
| Spurs | Coming off an NBA Finals appearance, led by Victor Wembanyama | Create useful shots against size and defend through multiple actions |
| Rockets | Kevin Durant, Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson lead a substantial core | Handle physical pressure and finish defensive possessions |
| Mavericks | Cooper Flagg’s development and Kyrie Irving’s return are central | Match young talent with organized execution |
| Grizzlies | A new direction after Ja Morant’s move to Portland; Cameron Boozer joins the core | Avoid assuming a rebuilding opponent is an easy win |
| Pelicans | A new coach and a crowded collection of returning and added talent | Turn rotation choices into dependable combinations |
Team context: NBA.com’s Southwest outlook. Tactical assessments are editorial.
My divisional view starts with New Orleans chasing San Antonio and Houston. Winning the competition with Dallas and Memphis would represent progress; it would not settle the broader conference race.
The Western Conference leaves little room for drift
NBA.com’s general manager survey placed San Antonio and Oklahoma City at the head of the Western outlook, followed by Minnesota, Denver, Houston and the Lakers. That is an opinion survey, but it illustrates the standard New Orleans is trying to reach.
The Pelicans need to compete with that group while also dealing with the teams pursuing the same opportunities below it. Portland’s addition of Morant creates another relevant opponent in that conversation.
This is why a better Pelicans team could still spend months near the play-in boundary. Improvement has to show up against direct competitors, not only in occasional impressive nights against the strongest teams.
The temperature: cautious optimism, with accountability
There is reason to engage with this team: a new coach, developing players and several ways to build an effective lineup.
There is also reason to demand evidence. The useful signs will be visible when the shots stop falling or a veteran’s role shrinks. Do players keep moving the ball? Does the next group defend? Does Mosley correct a recurring problem before it decides another game?
Those are stronger indicators of belief than preseason enthusiasm alone.
Final thoughts: a path forward that must be earned
My baseline forecast is 38–44, with New Orleans fighting around the final play-in places. That is an editorial projection, assuming reasonably consistent availability and meaningful defensive improvement—not a statistical model.
It would represent a 12-win gain. Reaching a higher level would require the rotation to settle, the young players to progress and the team to defend consistently through the difficult stretches.
The Pelicans have enough talent to give Mosley options. The season will turn on whether those options become a coherent team.KEEP THE PELICANS CONVERSATION GOING
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Related reading: 3–1, But Are They Ready? The Pelicans’ Preseason Reality Check.
Reporting sources
- NBA.com: Pelicans season preview
- WhyNBA: dated schedule and preseason results
- NBA.com: current Pelicans roster and preseason player notes
- NBA.com: Saddiq Bey extension
- Reuters: Murray toe contusion
- Pelicans official player report: Murray missed preseason finale
- Official Pelicans Podcast: schedule breakdown
- Pelicans schedule press release via Crescent City Sports
- NBA.com: Southwest Division offseason outlook
- NBA.com: 2026–27 general manager survey
- Pelicans official reporting: defensive progress in Dallas
Prepared October 19, 2026. Injury reporting reflects information available through October 18. Projections and lineup recommendations are editorial analysis.