Pelicans' Jordan Poole Opens Up About New Bench Role

Poole has found some success in a familiar role off the bench in New Orleans.

Dec 20, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Jordan Poole (3) brings the ball up court against the Indiana Pacers during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans remain near the bottom of the Western Conference standings despite winning five of their last six games. New Orleans has shown significant improvement under interim coach James Borrego, who is demonstrating that he isn’t afraid to push different buttons to see how his team responds. One of those tactical moves is bringing players like Jordan Poole and Zion Williamson off the bench the last couple of weeks.

Both players recently returned from injury, but not directly to the starting lineups. Poole missed 18 straight games with a right quad strain, and upon his return, he came off the bench for the last five games. New Orleans won all five of those games before having their win streak end on Tuesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Poole recently opened up postgame about the move from the bench after the team’s 119-113 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. “I think we can change the game no matter what position we’re in,” Poole said about the move for him and Williamson to the bench. He added, “ We both know that. It just happened to be given the opportunity for that in the fourth. We’re both game-changers in our own respects.....and when we’re out there at the same time, being able to close games is huge for us.”

Jordan Poole Is Thriving in Familiar Bench Role in New Orleans

The former NBA champion is averaging 16.6 points and 3.2 assists in the five games since coming off the bench. Poole is certainly not new to making an impact from the second unit, since he was an integral part of the Golden State Warriors' 2022 championship run. Current teammate Kevon Looney, who also played with Poole on that Warriors team, spoke before the season on the impact Poole can make off the bench.

"He’s thrived in positions where he had to come off the bench before," Looney said during training camp. "He’s a winner, and he knows how to provide that instant offense."

The Pelicans acquired the dynamic scorer this offseason in a deal that sent CJ McCollum to Washington. New Orleans needed to replenish its scoring ability after the team sent Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors last season before the trade deadline. With Dejounte Murray also going to miss a significant part of the year recovering from an Achilles injury suffered last year, bringing in a scorer like Poole was necessary.

Whether Poole continues to come off the bench remains to be seen. Rookie Jeremiah Fears is playing quality basketball, alleviating the need to have Poole return to the starting lineup immediately. Interim coach Borrego is pushing the right buttons for now, and Poole and his teammates are responding favorably.