Pelicans' Yves Missi Needs to Play More Down the Stretch

With the New Orleans Pelicans at 23-46 heading down the final stretch of the season, interim head coach James Borrego finds himself in a unique situation. The Pelicans don’t own their first-round pick in next year’s draft, so tanking is not an option for better draft positioning. Borrego is also auditioning for the permanent head coaching gig, relying on a strong finish to stake his claim to be the next coach in New Orleans. To string up enough wins, Borrego must deploy the best winning lineups on the court. For the foreseeable future, that should include second-year center Yves Missi.

The former Baylor standout started Monday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks and proved why he deserves consistent nightly minutes. Missi was a defensive force, grabbing ten rebounds and blocking five shots in New Orleans' 129-111 victory. The Pelicans have tinkered with their frontcourt rotation much of the season, with rookie Derik Queen getting early-season starts, veteran DeAndre Jordan seeing recent action, and even some small-ball lineups featuring Herb Jones at center. The numbers show that Missi is a good complement next to Zion Williamson on the court and should start the remainder of the season.

❌Yves Missi
💥Zion Williamson
Pelicans ball 😎pic.twitter.com/UEKQaV0DeJ
— PlanetaNBA (@_PlanetNBA_) March 17, 2026

Yves Missi Deserves More Playing Time in the Final 13 Games of the Season

Williamson is not known as a great defender, so having an athletic big man like Missi in the lineup alongside him is imperative to the Pelicans' defense. According to Databallr, when Williamson is in the lineup without Missi, New Orleans has a defensive rating of 119.7. Add Missi on the court with Zion, and the team’s defensive rating improves drastically to 116.3, and the Pelicans have a net positive rating of +0.7.

The duo has played about 455 minutes together on the court this year, but Missi averages only about 19 minutes per game. Despite that, the Cameroonian-born center has 23 multi-block games this year.

Offensively, Missi doesn't need the ball to be effective—a trait that makes him a great partner for Dejounte Murray and Williamson. His ability to act as a rim-runner forces opposing defenses to collapse, opening up the corners for shooters like Trey Murphy III and Saddiq Bey.

Although the sample size is quite small for Murray and Missi in the lineup together, the potential seems to be there for a great pick-and-roll duo. Murray and Missi have helped the Pelicans to a 129.3 offensive rating when both are on the court, leading to a staggering +23.3 net rating. The Pelicans usually produce their best net ratings when a defensive big is in the lineup, much like when DeAndre Jordan started a few games last month.

Yves with FIVE blocks tonight ❌ pic.twitter.com/ssD3GRGJWC
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 17, 2026

Missi’s name was amongst some trade speculation during the deadline, but the Pelicans held on to the young center, who has only played organized basketball since he was 15. A young piece like him has a chance to grow nicely alongside Williamson and Queen for the near future.

New Orleans will probably need depth in the frontcourt next season, with Jordan likely either retiring or moving on at 37, and the Pelicans not picking up the team option on Kevon Looney, who has been out of the lineup for the last few months.

The rest of this season is an opportunity for Missi and some of the younger players to build continuity heading into next year. Missi echoed those sentiments after the home win Monday night against the Mavs. When asked about the state of the team, he told reporters postgame. "Everyone got healthy... We're building something for next year. That's the main thing. We know the record is not the best, just go out there and play. Get some wins and get ready for next year."

With the season winding down, the objective should be clear. Yves Missi has the physical tools and the defensive instincts to be the foundation of this frontcourt. It’s time to give him the 25+ minutes a night he earned as a rookie and see if he can truly become the anchor the Pelicans need.