Pelicans' 3 Biggest Weaknesses Next Season

The start of the NBA season is quickly approaching for the New Orleans Pelicans, and the recent schedule reveal puts into focus just how soon that might be. With the Pelicans' quiet offseason suggesting there won’t be a major roster shakeup, the team is likely to enter the new season as presently constructed.

For many fans, that’s disheartening given the team won just 26 games last season and seems content to run it back under a new coaching staff. The flaws seemed many last year, but a few stood out above the rest as deficiencies that could again doom the Pelicans this year.

Rim Protection and Center Depth

There is no question that New Orleans is devoid of quality starting center depth on the roster. The Pelicans will trot out Yves Missi, Karlo Matkovic, and DeAndre Jordan to man the middle this season.

Last year, the team was 25th in the league in opponent points in the paint, surrendering over 53 points per game in the restricted area. Much of this was due to the Pelicans' small-ball lineups, often featuring both Zion Williamson and Derik Queen together on the court.

DERIK QUEEN WHAT IS THIS PASS

TREY WITH THE SLAM pic.twitter.com/Tl4Q08joAz
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 22, 2025

The stats defensively with those two in the lineup together were horrid, but the team didn’t have many quality options last year, and the same holds this year.

New Orleans didn’t address their most glaring need this offseason, instead re-signing 37-year-old veteran DeAndre Jordan to a two-year deal. There will likely be plenty of small lineups again this season, which will put the Pelicans at a clear disadvantage against bigger teams in the league.

3-Point Volume & Spacing

Today’s NBA math dictates perimeter volume and efficiency, but the Pelicans are often at a distinct disadvantage outside the arc. The Pelicans were near the bottom of the league last season in three-point attempts, three-point makes, and three-point shooting percentage. Of their top eight scorers last year, only two of them shot above 35% from the three-point line.

With such a lethal interior force like Williamson on the court, having the necessary spacing around him keeps defenses honest and prevents them from clogging the paint and creating a wall from the basket.

Zion Williamson tonight:

35 PTS (season-high)
15/26 FG
8 REB
2 AST
2 STL
2 BLK pic.twitter.com/pIKtqzu2bi
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 3, 2026

The lack of consistent outside shooting is problematic given the Pelicans' lack of size. In small-ball lineups, spacing should be a distinct advantage against larger teams, but without it, New Orleans finds itself getting punished down low and unable to outscore opponents from the outside.

Unless there is a drastic change in personnel or a dramatic shooting improvement, opposing teams will pack the paint against Williamson and Queen and dare New Orleans to beat them from the perimeter.

Financial Obligations & Roster Redundancy

Since the Pelicans don’t have quality depth at starting center, they have a lot of players who do a lot of the same things.

New Orleans is crowded at the wing position with Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Saddiq Bey, Micah Peavy, Bryce McGowens, and Jordan Hawkins, who all received quality playing time last season.

They have two high-priced guards in Jordan Poole and Dejounte Murray, each set to make over $30 million this upcoming season. Still, because of Murray’s recovery last year from an Achilles injury, the Pelicans really don’t know how they fit together.

Throw in the impressive rookie season from Jeremiah Fears, and the Pelicans have a lot of backcourt players vying for touches and playing time heading into the season.

Poole’s contract is an expiring deal this year, so New Orleans should be able to flip him before the deadline if things go south early, record-wise, for the Pelicans.

The team is about $8 million below the luxury tax and intends to stay there, given that they have never paid into the tax in its history. Managing playing time for all those players won’t be easy for Jamahl Mosley, but it will be interesting to see how he adopts these lineups as the season goes on.

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