3 Things to Watch for in the Pelicans' Final 10 Games

Ten games are remaining in the 2025-2026 campaign for the New Orleans Pelicans before a long offseason full of important decision-making is necessary to right this sinking ship. At 25-47, the Pelicans are in danger of finishing the year with fewer than 30 wins for the second straight season.

While the national pundits have long dismissed the Pelicans since they’ve been out of the playoff race for some time, fans have a few key things to watch during the final weeks. Here are three things to watch for the final stretch.

Has James Borrego Done Enough To Be the Permanent Coach?

The Pelicans made waves early this season after firing former head coach Willie Green just 12 games into the season after a horrendous 2-10 start. James Borrego assumed the interim head coaching role, and for most of the first part of the year, the Pelicans made little improvement.

However, since the All-Star break, it’s evident that New Orleans is playing some of its best basketball despite having little to play for. The team is 10-6 since the break and has a top-ten overall and offensive net rating during that period. Much credit should go to Borrego and his staff for staying competitive, even with the team having no postseason aspirations.

Borrego has not been afraid to make the difficult lineup and personnel decisions to see how his team responds. He’s sent both rookies to the bench after Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears spent much of the year starting, and he’s also sat veteran guard Jordan Poole down for much of the second half of the year.

Poole was supposed to be the team’s big offseason acquisition in the deal that sent veteran guard CJ McCollum to the Washington Wizards. Poole was coming off a career-scoring year in Washington, and many thought his playmaking ability would be a valuable asset to the Pelicans. Fast forward to poor play, questionable shot selection, and a lack of commitment on defense, and Borrego has sat the former NBA champion in nine of the last 11 games.

Borrego has shown an improvement in the team and the ability to make difficult decisions. Will that be enough for the front office to make him the permanent coach moving forward?

Zion Williamson’s Health A Major Plus

Questions about his health and dedication have followed two-time All-Star Zion Williamson throughout his career. Since entering the league in 2019, staying healthy has been a major issue for Williamson year in and year out, with the Duke standout only playing more than 30 games in a season twice in his career.

The start of this year appeared like deja vu for the former number one overall pick after a hamstring injury in early November sidelined him for eight straight games. Williamson returned to the court in mid-November before suffering a right hip adductor strain, which the original diagnosis had him out for at least three weeks. Many thought this was the beginning of another injury-plagued season, but Williamson surprisingly returned to the court in less than two weeks and then went on a career-best 35 straight games played.

Williamson is on pace to play the second-most games in a season this year, just falling short of his career-best 70 games played in the 2023-2024 season. The Pelicans star acknowledged the criticism of his availability during a recent interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, in which he details the outside noise and how it motivates him. “There are pros and cons to being in a certain position. Critics come with the territory,” Williamson said. “The part that would get at me the most is people saying I didn’t care and I care a lot. I really care and when you’re not on the court and you just have to sit on the sideline, how much my critics hate it, I hate it more than them. Because I don’t want to be on the sideline, I want to be out there on the court.”

Zion Williamson's 17th career game with at least 25 PTS on 80% FG or better

27 PTS (11/13 FG)
4 REB pic.twitter.com/jNauI5ky83
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 17, 2026

Williamson has been on the court this season and has been highly efficient as of late, despite his overall shot volume decreasing. He is on pace to average the least amount of shots per game in his career, but his effective field goal percentage is the highest it’s been in four years, the last time he was an All-Star selection. Less is more right now for Williamson, and the Pelicans should be thrilled he can potentially end this season on the court and not the sideline, as in years past.

How Will the Rookies Respond?

The old cliche "pressure can either burst pipes or make diamonds" is a simplified way of saying that something can go drastically wrong or drastically right. For the Pelicans, they hope it’s the latter when it comes to their rookies Jermiah Fears and Derik Queen.

Both rookies saw early-season success and playing time, but as of late, interim coach James Borrego has had both coming off the bench, with their playing time decreasing. Fears has not started a game since January 23rd, while the move to place Queen on the bench happened a month later on February 24th. Queen has only played more than 20 minutes once in the last six games, and he seems to be affected by the lack of playing time. Over his last six games, he’s not attempted more than five shots in any contest and is only shooting 36% from the field in March.

Jeremiah. Fears. pic.twitter.com/nQJ3RimkLp
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 11, 2026

Conversely, Fears has maximized his opportunities on the court, especially in shooting. The former Oklahoma standout is shooting a season’s best 42.9% from beyond the arc during this month. He’s averaging 11.9 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.5 rebounds in his last 11 games. Both are core building blocks of the future, so their response to personal adversity will be telling for them moving forward. Their time to start will undoubtedly come soon in their careers, but this final lesson of the season should help shape and mold their attitude and approach to the NBA.