The New Orleans Pelicans have made a lot of key changes. Will it deliver a winner and a rebound from a brutal, 61-loss season a year ago?
That question starts to be answered on Wednesday when the team opens of their 2025-26 season.
Here are the games over the next week (all carried WWL Radio):
- Wednesday, Oct. 22: at Grizzlies, 7 p.m.
- Friday, Oct. 24: vs Spurs, 7 p.m.
- Monday, Oct. 27: vs Celtics, 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, Oct. 29: at Nuggets, 8 p.m.
With all that in mind, here are my five biggest questions the Pelicans must answer this season.
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What's different in the Joe Dumars era?
The Pelicans made an interesting, and ultimately rare, decision this offseason: They felt strongly enough to move on from their top executive in David Griffin, but they kept the majority of the operation intact.
Joe Dumars is leading the show now, and you don't make that kind of change unless it has the goal of culture-building in a way you didn't see happening leading up to that point. To this point we've seen a clear difference. Dumars is a Hall of Fame player and has spent the past several years doling out discipline for the league. Players and coaches will respect what he has to say, even if they don't always agree with him. It sure seems like that has landed based on appearances, but results will tell the story.
Voice of the Pelicans Joel Meyers told Mike Hoss on WWL that the message has been heard loud and clear at all levels of the organization.
“You’re trying to wash away 21-61, and it is a fresh start for all of us. ... I like what Joe has brought in, the mentality Joe Dumars has brought in," Meyers said. "No nonsense, no BS, like, you want to be here, great, we want you here. If you’re not, let me know and I’ll find you a new home, so I’m really happy with Joe coming here, wanting to come back to his home state. It’s kind of an exciting time for all of us.”
Hear that full interview in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
The organization's philosophy has also changed. As evidenced in this recent draft and offseason trades, Dumars is going to be aggressive at going after his vision. If that vision is the right one, he's a genius. If it fails, well, so does he.
All we can do is watch and see if the product looks different from the one that last 61 games last year.
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Is skinny Zion the answer?
We've watched this movie before: Zion Williamson comes into camp looking like he's found the answers. He's slimmer. He's confident. He's saying all the right things.
I've been burned many a time thinking that would drive a successful season and it didn't happen, in multiple instances because Zion wasn't there. At the risk of being burned again: This time feels different.
NBA reporter Oleh Kosel told WWL Radio that he expects that to be the case, and he also expects to see a "smarter Zion" in terms of the way he plays with the leaner frame. That'll include not trying to play through double teams and becoming a more efficient passer, eliminating live ball turnovers and contributing as a defender.
Case in point: Zion led the Pelicans in assists and steals during the preseason, and Kosel doesn't see that as a mirage.
"He’s never done any of these things [in the NBA]," Kosel said. "So I think we’re going to see an expanded game, but it’s not so much going to come from just the fact of scoring, but it’s going to be from his all-around game."
Hear the full interview with Oleh Kosel in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
You need stars, and you need those stars to be available to win consistently in the NBA. This team can make a splash if Zion is there to lead the way. Let's see if he can do that.
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Is this rookie class a winner?
The last time the Pelicans took two high picks into the draft the Pelicans walked away with Zion Williamson and Jaxson Hayes.
The Pelicans also used a high picks on Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kira Lewis Jr. and Dyson Daniels, all of whom are currently playing elsewhere, and with NAW and Daniels finding success with new rosters.
There were hits in the draft during the Griffin era, too, including a pair of starting wings in Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III. Can the 2025 class look more like that one?
Expectations are high for both PG Jeremiah Fears (No. 7 overall) and C Derik Queen (No. 13 overall). There's also an immediate need for those players to contribute due to injuries. PG Dejounte Murray is still a ways away as he works back from a torn achilles, and newly signed center Kevon Looney is out multiple weeks due to injury.
Neither player will start, but both will take on a significant role from Day 1, Kosel said. How Queen's rotational minutes are handled will be a mystery, considering he missed the entirety of the preseason due to a wrist injury and surgery, but has been cleared to return.
"We know they’re both gonna get minutes," Kosel said. "The front office really made a bet on both of the guys, so they’re going to be featured prominently,"
Queen will also be essential with Karlo Matkovic likely to miss the opener, and the total minutes spelling Yves Missi will be contingent on how well he performs out there.
On the other hand, Fears appears like he'll be one of the first players off the bench game in, game out, and he's certainly looked the part in the preseason. Kosel sees him as a candidate to play in the range of 25 minutes per game, with steady improvement clear to see already in his young career.
"I think he’s proven that he’s worth it, because think back to summer league, how porous his game looked, all the fouls, couldn’t make a shot, all the turnovers," Kosel said, "That’s where he seems really helpful [and improved], understands what he’s doing out there, so I’m not worried about him and his minutes."
This roster does look to have depth, scoring, defense and potential. If that's the case and they deliver, the draft picks will look brilliant. If things go poorly, that unprotected 2026 pick used to go get Queen in the draft will be talked about, A LOT.
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A NOLA Poole party?
The Wizards squad featuring Poole was one of the only three teams that finished with fewer wins than the Pelicans a year ago. But the team found themselves in need of an offensive infusion in this offseason, and they got aggressive to bring in Poole, who seems to be fitting into the team's culture.
Then things got weird. There seemed to be something of a falling out with the Warriors and he went on to sign a lucrative deal with the Warriors. A featured role didn't yield better results, and decision-making (he's averaged more than 2.4 turnovers per game in each of the past four seasons) and shot selection being criticized often.
The Wizards squad featuring Poole was one of only three teams that finished with fewer wins than the Pelicans a year ago. But the Pelicans found themselves in need of a score this offseason and they made the moves to acquire Poole, who is still only 26 years old.
"He's a deep threat. He can really shoot, which is required," Meyers said. "Need the spacing, so if you have Jordan Poole, who they have to cover, and they have Trey on the wing, Zion, they can't drop a double in his lap. ... They have to stay with [Poole], keep him honest."
Makes sense to me. Can Poole get back to being the multiplier that he was in Golden State? That's one of the biggest questions, and it seems like that's what the Pelicans are betting on.
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Who is the real Willie Green?
Seriously, because we've seen two very pictures of NBA coaching.
On the one hand we watched him lead a group that piled up the most losses in a single season since the team rebranding to the Pelicans more than a decade ago. The injuries were significant and the team spent a majority of the year without two or more of its stars on the court. Several of the starting fives from some of the late-season games last year will be ones we look at years down the line and say, "wait, who?"
But it was still a collapse of epic proportions that started basically from Game 1. Did the locker room start to tune him out? Does he have it as an in-game manager of the roster, rotations and development? Things were bad enough that the team fired David Griffin.
The other scenario is that Green's true impact is one that can lead the team to build on what had been an increase in wins (36, 42 and 49) in his first three seasons. Young players blossomed in those years, including Trey Murphy III who looks poised for a true breakout year.
Dumars and team owner Gayle Benson like Green. They didn't wait long to tell make him their guy to move forward with. Still, this feels very much like a season where we we find out which of the versions listed above is the real one.
The Pelicans open their 2025-'26 season on the road against Memphis at 7 p.m. Wednesday, then their home opener on Friday against the Spurs. Catch all the action on WWL Radio.