Which Pelicans Tryout Player Has the Best Chance of Making Team?

With training camp right around the corner, is there a player who can breakthrough a get a roster spot?

Orlando Magic guard Caleb Houstan (2) on the court before the game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Training camp is less than a month away for the New Orleans Pelicans, which unofficially marks the start of the NBA season. New Orleans enters the year with a fresh coaching staff, hoping to improve on the woeful 2025-26 campaign that saw them win just 26 games. Many expected major roster turnover this summer, but the team remained largely intact from a season ago.

Instead, the Pelicans made small tweaks to the lineup, relying on the new coaching staff to change the culture and elevate the team's play. The Pelicans recently signed a few players to training camp deals this summer before camp starts. While none of the names jump off the screen, there is one player who could survive camp and potentially find himself in a Pelicans uniform this season: Caleb Houstan.

Mosley familiarity only the beginning for Houstan's positive outlook

Newly hired head coach Jamahl Mosley is very familiar with Houstan, whom he drafted in the 2nd round of the 2022 NBA Draft while coaching the Orlando Magic. Mosley coached Houstan for three seasons in Orlando, and the 6-foot-8 forward received plenty of playing time. The former Michigan standout appeared in 168 regular-season games with the Magic, averaging around 4 points in over 14 minutes per game. Orlando used Houstan primarily as a 3&D player. He shot 37% from deep over his three seasons under Mosley.

If the former second-rounder is to break through and nab a spot in New Orleans, it will be because he has an unbelievable camp shooting the ball from deep. The Pelicans' issues shooting the three-pointer are well documented over the last couple of seasons. Last year, the team finished 24th in three-point percentage, 25th in three-point attempts, and 27th in three-point makes. No player attempted more than 3 threes a game and shot better than 38% from beyond the arc.

Houstan is about a career 38% shooter from deep, and after a brief stint in the G League last year, he shot really well down the stretch for the Atlanta Hawks. In the 18 games he appeared in, the Canadian-born forward shot 52% from beyond the arc. His most successful three-point spot is the corners, where he’s shot 46% for his career in that area, per 3stepsbasket.com.

The Pelicans are already loaded in the wing department with Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Saddiq Bey, Micah Peavy, and Bryce McGowens. Usurping Peavy and McGowens will be a tall order, as both players played extensive minutes last season. However, that was under a different regime, and Mosley’s familiarity with Houstan could give him a small leg up if he has a tremendous camp and wows the Pelicans staff.

New Orleans seems committed to playing a host of smaller lineups this season. Their lack of viable size at center will dictate that they use smaller, quicker lineups to gain advantages on most nights. Most teams that play those types of lineups do so with the key advantage around the perimeter. The Pelicans must capitalize from the outside.

The Pelicans' full roster number is also a factor. After acquiring Bennedict Mathurin last month, New Orleans has 16 players on their current roster. They must trim that number to at least 15 before the season starts. If they pull off a multi-player trade for future assets, they could have a 15th and final spot available for someone on a two-way deal or a training camp spot.

Houstan will get his opportunity to showcase his skills in the team’s upcoming camp. His familiarity with Mosley should give him a leg up to get a realistic look; the rest is on him to forge his future in this league.