New Orleans is a city built on jazz, gumbo, and a healthy dose of superstition. It’s a place where you learn to embrace the chaos. That’s probably the best way to describe the New Orleans Pelicans team right now. One night, they look like a legitimate Western Conference threat capable of suffocating the best offenses in the league. The next? They’re turning the ball over in ways that make you want to throw your remote through the TV. It is a franchise perpetually teetering on the edge of greatness, held back by a cocktail of bad injury luck and a roster construction that sometimes feels like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.
Honestly, being a fan is exhausting. You’ve got Zion Williamson, a physical marvel who creates gravity just by standing on the block, yet his health remains the singular "if" that haunts the entire Gulf Coast. You’ve got Brandon Ingram’s smooth mid-range game, which is beautiful to watch but occasionally feels at odds with the modern "threes and layups" philosophy. Then there’s the recent addition of Dejounte Murray, a move designed to finally give this group a steady hand at the point. On paper, it’s a juggernaut. In practice, it’s a chemistry experiment that is still bubbling over the Bunsen burner.
The Zion Williamson Enigma
Everything begins and ends with Zion. When he’s on, there is quite literally nobody else like him in basketball history. He’s a 280-pound freight train with the vertical of a pogo stick. Watching him navigate a crowded paint is like watching a glitch in a video game. But the New Orleans Pelicans team can't just rely on "Point Zion" highlights anymore. The team needs 65+ games.
David Griffin and the front office have spent years trying to build a wall around him—not to stop him, but to protect him. They’ve overhauled the training staff and looked at everything from his gait to his diet. But the reality of the NBA in 2026 is that availability is a skill. When Zion is out, the Pelicans' offensive rating plummeting isn't just a stat; it's a vibe shift. The energy in the Smoothie King Center changes. The floor spacing gets wonky. Suddenly, Brandon Ingram is forced into taking contested 22-footers because there’s no one collapsing the defense at the rim.
Why the Dejounte Murray Trade Changed Everything
For years, the loudest complaint from Pels fans was the lack of a true floor general. CJ McCollum is a brilliant scorer, but he’s a shooting guard in a point guard’s body. Asking him to initiate every set while also being a primary bucket-getter was a lot. Enter Dejounte Murray.
The trade with Atlanta was a "win-now" signal. It cost them Dyson Daniels—a defensive wizard whose jump shot was still a work in progress—and Larry Nance Jr., along with draft capital. Was it worth it? Mostly. Murray brings a defensive tenacity that New Orleans has lacked at the point of attack since Jrue Holiday left. He takes the pressure off Zion to bring the ball up every single time.
But here’s the catch.
Adding another high-usage player to a starting lineup that already features Zion, Ingram, and McCollum means there’s only one ball to go around. Someone has to sacrifice. Usually, that ends up being the rhythm of the offense. Head Coach Willie Green has his work cut out for him. He’s a "players' coach" through and through, known for getting guys to play hard on the defensive end, but the offensive flow often feels stagnant during crunch time. It’s a lot of "your turn, my turn" basketball. That doesn't win playoff series in a West that features the synchronized swimming of the OKC Thunder or the Jokic-led Nuggets.
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The Small-Ball Gamble and the Center Problem
Let's talk about the Jonas Valančiūnas departure. It was the end of an era. "Big V" was a double-double machine, but he was a liability in the pick-and-roll defense. The New Orleans Pelicans team decided to lean into "positionless" basketball. They want to be fast. They want to switch everything.
- They drafted Yves Missi, a raw but incredibly athletic rim runner from Baylor.
- They’ve experimented with Herb Jones—yes, a 6'8" wing—playing the "five" in small-ball lineups.
- They are betting that Daniel Theis can provide veteran stability in short bursts.
It’s a massive risk. Against teams with elite size like Minnesota or Denver, the Pelicans get bullied on the glass. There have been games where they’ve been out-rebounded by double digits, giving up second-chance points that negate their otherwise stellar defensive rotations. Herb Jones is arguably the best perimeter defender in the world (first-team All-Defense for a reason), but asking him to box out 7-footers for 30 minutes is a tall order. He’s the heart of the team, though. If you aren't watching Herb Jones' "stocks" (steals + blocks), you aren't watching Pelicans basketball. He is the glue that keeps the whole fragile structure from collapsing.
The Brandon Ingram Contract Cloud
You can't talk about this roster without mentioning the elephant in the room: Brandon Ingram's future. He’s in a contract year, and the rumors have been swirling like a hurricane in the Gulf. Ingram wants the max. The Pelicans' front office seems hesitant to tie up that much cap space given the new CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) rules that punish high-spending teams.
It’s awkward.
Ingram is a professional. He shows up, he puts up 23-5-5, and he hits tough shots. But you can see the friction. The modern NBA values high-volume three-point shooting, and BI prefers the mid-range. While he’s worked on his catch-and-shoot game, he’s fundamentally an isolation scorer. If the Pelicans decide to move him before the trade deadline, it would be a franchise-altering move. Finding a trade partner that provides equal value is nearly impossible, but keeping him risks losing him for nothing in free agency.
The Bench Mob: New Orleans' Secret Weapon
While the stars get the headlines, the depth of this New Orleans Pelicans team is actually their strongest asset.
Trey Murphy III is a superstar in a role player's body. He’s a 6'9" wing who shoots 40% from deep and can dunk on your entire family. There’s a legitimate argument that he should be starting, but his gravity off the bench is what keeps the second unit afloat. Then you have Jose Alvarado. "Grand Theft Alvarado." The man is a pest. He changes the energy of the arena the second he checks in. His ability to sneak up on unsuspecting guards for backcourt steals is more than a gimmick; it disrupts the opponent's rhythm and fuels the Pels' transition game.
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Then there’s Jordan Hawkins. The kid can shoot the lights out. His movement without the ball is reminiscent of a young Ray Allen or Richard Hamilton. Even if his shot isn't falling, defenses can't leave him, which opens up the lane for Zion’s drives. This depth allows the Pelicans to survive the inevitable injuries that plague their starters, but it also creates a rotation headache for Willie Green. Who do you play in the final five minutes?
The Coaching Philosophy Under the Microscope
Willie Green is beloved by his players. That matters. In a league where stars can force coaches out on a whim, Green has the locker room's respect. However, his tactical adjustments have been questioned. The Pelicans have historically struggled in "clutch" situations—defined as games within five points in the final five minutes.
They often settle.
Instead of running the complex actions that get Trey Murphy open looks, the offense often devolves into Brandon Ingram or CJ McCollum taking a contested fadeaway. It’s predictable. To take the next step and become a top-four seed, the Pelicans need an offensive identity that isn't just "hope our talented guys make tough shots." They need to leverage Zion's gravity to create more corner threes. They need to use Murray’s speed to push the pace before the defense sets.
What the Numbers Actually Say
Look at the advanced stats. When Zion, BI, and CJ were on the floor together last season, the offensive rating was elite. The problem was the defensive end. With Dejounte Murray replacing some of those minutes, the defensive floor is higher, but the spacing is tighter.
The Pelicans are currently one of the best teams in the league at forcing turnovers. They thrive in chaos. If they can turn a steal into a transition dunk, they are nearly unbeatable. But when the game slows down in the half-court, they struggle. They don't take enough threes. In a league where the Celtics and Mavs are launching 40+ triples a night, the Pelicans often hover in the low 30s. That’s a math problem they haven't quite solved yet.
The Reality of the New Orleans Market
New Orleans is one of the smallest markets in the NBA. They don't get the "superstar whistle" and they certainly don't get the media coverage of the Lakers or Knicks. This creates an "us against the world" mentality within the facility. Gayle Benson has shown she is willing to spend, but there is a limit. This isn't a team that can afford to pay the luxury tax indefinitely if they aren't making deep playoff runs.
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The window is now.
With the West being a literal bloodbath—SGA in OKC, Ant-Man in Minnesota, Luka in Dallas—the Pelicans are fighting for oxygen. They are currently a "play-in" caliber team with "conference finals" talent. Bridging that gap requires more than just health; it requires a fundamental shift in how they play late-game basketball.
Actionable Steps for the Pelicans to Contend
If this team wants to stop being the "spooky" team that nobody wants to play and start being the team everyone is afraid of, three things have to happen immediately.
First, Zion Williamson must embrace the "Point Center" role defensively. He doesn't have to be Rudy Gobert, but he has to be a deterrent at the rim. His block numbers have improved, but his lateral quickness in screen coverage is still a weak point. If he can just become an average rim protector, the Pels' defense goes from good to elite.
Second, Trey Murphy III needs 30+ minutes a night, regardless of who sits. He is the modern NBA archetype. His presence on the floor makes Zion 20% more effective because defenders cannot cheat off him. Whether it’s starting him over CJ or finding a way to play "ultra-small," Murphy is the key to unlocking the offense.
Finally, the front office needs to make a firm decision on the center position. Relying on a rookie (Missi) and a wing (Jones) to play center is a fun regular-season experiment, but it will get exposed in a seven-game series against a physical big man. They need a veteran "bruiser" who can give them 15 minutes of hard fouls and rebounding without being a total zero on offense.
The New Orleans Pelicans are the most interesting team in the league because they are so close to being perfect and so close to falling apart simultaneously. It’s high-stakes poker in the Big Easy.
How to follow the Pelicans' progress this season:
- Watch the "clutch" net rating: If New Orleans stays in the top 10 in late-game efficiency, they are a lock for a top-6 seed.
- Monitor Zion's "minutes played" trend: Consistency is more important than 40-point outbursts.
- Keep an eye on the trade deadline (February): If Brandon Ingram is still on the roster past the deadline, expect a massive push for a deep playoff run, even if it means a complicated summer.