Zion Williamson and Jeremiah Fears look to lead the Pelicans into a new season.
Offseason Recap
• Last Season: 26-56 (11th in West, missed postseason)
• Key Additions: AJ Johnson, Bennedict Mathurin, Jaron Pierre Jr., Trendon Watford
• Every Pelicans move this offseason
Season Outlook
The Pelicans are virtually running it back with a 26-win team, hoping that growth from within will be significant or at least satisfactory. That’s not necessarily a bad decision; it just places a burden on the young returnees. They must level up.
And that’s not beyond the scope of Jeremiah Fears or Derik Queen. Those two dropped positive hints in their rookie seasons and should press for bigger roles and more playing time this season. Clearly, the foundation of the Pelicans’ future lies with those two.
Otherwise, it’ll be up to Trey Murphy, Zion Williamson and his health, and proven players such as Dejounte Murray and newly acquired Mathurin to take matters in their own hands when the game is on the line. If not, then Murray will be hotly discussed at the trade deadline.
Breakout Candidate: Herbert Jones
A few years ago, Jones was a rising star on defense, where his length and smarts were assets as he showed an ability to guard multiple players, even those bigger or quicker. He was First Team All-Defense in 2024 and a crucial part of the Pelicans’ improvement. For some reason, though, that growth slowed and Jones regressed.
He’s now 28 and in his prime, so if a turnaround will happen, now would be the moment. In a sense, this is the year when his true worth to the Pelicans or on the trade market will be realized. He’ll need to improve his 3-point shooting, which fell to 31% over the last two seasons. He also looks to put himself back among the league’s best defenders. The Pelicans will be in a good place if those areas are improved.
1 Number To Know
58% — The Pelicans led the league in the percentage of their shots (58%) that came in the paint last season. Williamson ranked third with 791 total field goal attempts in the paint.
Williamson’s field goal percentage in the paint (60.3%) was better than the league average (57.8%) and also his best mark in the last three years. But as a team, the Pelicans shot just 55.4% in the paint, the league’s second-worst mark. They had three of the 41 players – Jones, Micah Peavy and Jordan Poole – who shot below 50% on at least 100 paint attempts.
New addition Mathurin might not help much in that regard, having shot just 51.5% in the paint over his career. But his ability to get to the line should help with their overall efficiency.
— John Schuhmann
5 Must-See Matchups
• Oct. 21: Pelicans vs. Pacers — This season opener will shed some light on the Pelicans and the direction in which they’re headed; also, Mathurin sees his old team. Dejounte vs. Tyrese Haliburton should be interesting.
• Nov. 6: Pelicans vs. Timberwolves — Zion and Anthony Edwards were No. 1 overall picks in their respective drafts, but have followed different career paths since. Can Zion stay healthy and follow Ant’s trajectory?
• Nov. 18: Pelicans vs. Pistons — It’s the start of a three-game stretch where New Orleans will see the Pistons, Thunder and Spurs, a good early-season test.
• Nov. 29: Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers — Zion and Ja Morant went 1-2 in the 2019 Draft; both are trying to get back on track and fulfill the expectations that go with such high draft position.
• Feb. 2: Pelicans vs. Magic — Mosley makes his return to Orlando, where he took the Magic to the playoffs the last three years.
> Complete Regular Season Schedule
Preseason Storylines
The Pelicans now turn their attention to Mosley, the new coach who was hired to give direction and guidance to the young players. Mosley did a credible job in that sense in Orlando and with Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero in particular. Also, the Magic were a solid defensive team on his watch; meanwhile, he inherits a Pelicans team that ranked in the bottom 10 the last two seasons.
This will ultimately become a crucial decision by team president Joe Dumars as he tries to change the culture in New Orleans. If Mosley manages to connect well with the core of the roster, the Pelicans can turn their full attention to adding more talent to complement the young nucleus.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
