What New Head Coach Jamahl Mosley Brings to the Pelicans on Offense and Defense

The New Orleans Pelicans announced the hiring of Jamahl Mosley as their new head coach on Monday. Only two weeks after he lost his job with the Orlando Magic, Mosley wasted no time securing the Pelicans' job. Interestingly enough, he will have a similar task in New Orleans to the one he had in Orlando when he took over in 2021.

Following a 21-51 season, the Magic hired Mosley to lead them through their rebuild. A first-time head coach at the time, Mosley was able to slowly build up the Magic by developing young players and creating a strong culture and defensive identity.

Not being able to get over the first-round hump cost Mosley his job. But the Pelicans don't have to worry about advancing in the playoffs quite yet. They need a leader for this young, rebuilding team. Mosley can certainly do that, but what should Pelicans fans expect on the court? What are some of Mosley's principles on both ends of the floor?

Defense

Let's start with the defense, Mosley's calling card. When he took over, Magic was the 24th-best defense in the league. Their defense improved every single year in Mosley's first four years there. They were the second-best defense in the league for two straight seasons.

The way Mosley accomplished this was by forcing a ton of turnovers. His Magic teams consistently ranked near the top of the league in opponent turnover rate. Orlando deployed intense pressure and defended aggressively all over the court.

For two straight seasons, Orlando was in the top five in percentage of opponents' shots coming as three-pointers. The Magic made an effort to get over screens and not let their opponents walk into open threes. The fact that they had solid defenders on the perimeter allowed them to stay in front of their players and avoid drive-and-kick situations.

This will be significantly more difficult for the Pelicans, who lack the defensive stoppers outside of Herb Jones. Pressuring the ball with Jeremiah Fears instead of Jalen Suggs as your point-of-attack defender will certainly be more challenging.

We can also expect Mosley to prioritize rebounding above all else. Orlando has been a top-five defensive rebounding team in each of the last three seasons and never ranked below seven in any of Mosley's seasons, per Cleaning the Glass. Given the Pelicans' struggles on the boards last season, this should be a key area to watch in Mosley's first season.

Offense

Offense is where Mosley's track record is more of a mixed bag. Orlando ranked 30th, 26th, 22nd, 26th, and 18th in offensive efficiency, respectively, in each of his five years. The lack of offensive improvement during his tenure is certainly concerning.

In fairness, Mosley didn't have the best offensive talent. Sure, he had Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, but they were very young for most of his tenure, and both players are underqualified to be No. 1 options on a good playoff team. The bigger issue was the lack of shooting to surround his two stars.

Until this season. Orlando added Desmond Bane, an elite shooter and an off-ball threat. Yet, the offense looked as stagnant and predictable as ever. There was a ton of ball-stopping from Banchero and slow, easy-to-guard half-court offense overall.

For the fifth straight season, the Magic ranked 25th or worse in three-point attempt frequency. And for the fourth straight season, they were a bottom-ten in the league in terms of accuracy.

Against the Pistons in their first-round series, the Magic had a miserable 102.4 offensive rating. They had some of the worst offensive stretches imaginable in several games and failed to generate any good shots in the second half of the series.

Mosley wants to play offense in the full court. He wants to force turnovers and push the pace because of his team's struggles in the half-court. When they were forced to play in the half-court, the Magic consistently failed to generate good looks.

This will be a challenge for the Pelicans as well. New Orleans doesn't have the best-fitting offensive talent. They desperately lack shooting. Zion Williamson creates similar challenges to Paolo Banchero's offensive stylings, which Mosley wasn't able to solve during his tenure in Orlando.

As long as the Pelicans can force turnovers, grab defensive rebounds, and get out in transition, they could have a decent offense. Otherwise, Pelicans fans shouldn't expect the most innovative and attractive offense from their new head coach.

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