Clock Is Ticking for Zion Williamson in New Orleans After Jamahl Mosley Hiring

Jamahl Mosley’s recent hire as the coach of the New Orleans Pelicans ushers in a new era of basketball in the Big Easy. Mosley’s emphasis on defense, effort, and preparation should yield some positive results for the Pelicans in the future. Whether that translates into sustained winning remains to be seen, but his recent track record shows he values accountability from his players and expects them to play hard every night.

That responsibility is inclusive of every player on the roster, including star forward Zion Williamson, to hustle and play hard defensively every night in Mosley’s rotation.

Williamson has had his share of defensive struggles over the years. Injuries have been the main focus of his career, but when he does play, there have been questions about the consistent effort he puts forth defensively.

Mosley has experience maximizing his star player’s defensive potential, as seen in his days with the Orlando Magic, where he increased star Paolo Banchero’s output on that end of the court. One specific area of improvement for Williamson is defensive rebounding.

It boggles many people’s minds that Zion isn’t a walking double-double guy every year. He has the strength and athleticism to will his way near the basketball when he wants, yet in his two healthiest seasons, he averaged just 5.7 and 5.8 rebounds per game, respectively.

Banchero started his career on the lower end in rebounds of the glass, averaging 6.9 rebounds per game. He increased his production every season in the league and averaged a career-high 8.4 rebounds this past season.

Databallr stats show Banchero ranks in the 91st percentile in defensive rebounding, with a 19.5% rebounding percentage. Williamson is far below that at 11.1%, and the Pelicans as a whole are among the league's worst defensive rebounding teams, ranking 28th this past year.

Added emphasis on Williamson to secure rebounds will end New Orleans' defensive possessions and allow them to start their offense.

Paolo Banchero gets the block on defense, and Jalen Suggs gets the mid-range jumper to fall on offense to give Orlando an early lead pic.twitter.com/cV95BoqD34
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) April 18, 2026

Zion Williamson Needs to Follow Paolo Banchero's Defensive Path Under Jamahl Mosley

Aside from rebounding, Banchero’s individual defensive efforts were noticed by teammates. During a late-season West Coast trip, the former Duke standout took turns guarding Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard one night and then a couple of nights later, guarded Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic.

When guarded by Banchero, Leonard shot 3 for 8 from the floor, including 0 for 2 from beyond the arc. When guarded by the rest of the Magic, Kawhi was 11 for 17 from the field. It was similar to a game later versus Doncic. His teammate, Wendell Carter, Jr., praised his efforts in those games.

“He had two big challenges with Kawhi (Sunday) night and then Luka (Tuesday), and he took that challenge head on,” Carter added. “When he’s in that mode, when he’s locked in, it unlocks this team and takes us to a whole other level.”

Mosley will require the same level of commitment from Williamson for the Pelicans to be successful. Zion is coming off his two worst statistical defensive ratings of his career over the past two years. With Mosley at the helm, it will have to improve.

Despite Mosley being Williamson’s fifth head coach in eight seasons, the organization publicly is supporting his future in New Orleans. Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars and the front office explicitly made the hire with the intention of building around Williamson. It remains to be seen how long that commitment lasts under yet another coach.

Mosley won’t have the same defensive roster he had in Orlando, so until that improves, individual defense is key for the Pelicans. That starts with their best player, Zion Williamson, to raise his level defensively so his younger teammates will follow. Hard work can be talent when talent doesn’t work hard enough, and Mosley will push Williamson to give greater effort on defense.

The rest is up to Zion to dig deep and put forth a better effort to effect winning on the defensive side of the court.

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