Published for Pelicans fans — October 2026
By Toxlay Sports Editorial Team · Last updated October 19, 2026
The Club
The New Orleans Pelicans are basketball in the Big Easy. Founded in 2002 (as the New Orleans Hornets, renamed the Pelicans in 2013), they play at Smoothie King Center in navy, gold and red — and they own a distinction no fan asked for: along with Charlotte, New Orleans is one of only two NBA franchises that has never reached a conference final, let alone won a title. The “Won By Together” motto has been tested. This season, under a brand-new head coach, the Pelicans start over — again.
Last Season (2025-26): Another Season, Another Restart
26-56 — 11th in the West, third in the Southwest. The season was over almost before it started: head coach Willie Green was fired on November 15 after a 1-12 start, with associate coach James Borrego running the team on an interim basis for the final 69 games. The Pelicans were eliminated from playoff contention on March 24, finishing 11th — just short of even the play-in, despite Dejounte Murray’s return in February from his torn Achilles. There were bright spots: Zion Williamson played 62 games, the second-most of his career, at 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists on 60% shooting. But New Orleans missed the playoffs for the second straight season — and the Pelicans still don’t control their own first-round pick. Five wins better than the year before. Still nowhere near enough.
Best Players Right Now (2026-27 Roster)
Zion Williamson, 26, Forward (#1) — Still the headline. One of the healthiest seasons of his career (62 games), and the team needs him to be the franchise centerpiece it always envisioned. He took responsibility for the playoff miss in April: he wants to be here.
Trey Murphy III, 26, Forward — The quiet breakout. He actually led the Pelicans in scoring last season at 21.5 points per game across 66 games — and rival front offices would love to pry him loose at the deadline.
Dejounte Murray, 30, Guard — The great unknown. He missed most of last season recovering from a ruptured Achilles, then returned in February (14 games). He entered training camp healthy — and when he’s right, he’s the best two-way guard on the roster.
Herb Jones, 28, Forward — The defensive conscience. A former All-Defensive First Team selection whose perimeter defense makes everyone else’s job easier.
Saddiq Bey, 27, Forward — The steady wing. Added 17.7 points a night and holds down the starting rotation on the wing.
Jeremiah Fears, 20, Guard — The future, already playing. He appeared in all 82 games as a teenager last season, averaging 14.3 points. Now the question is whether he and the veterans can coexist.
Derik Queen, 21, Forward/Center — The skilled young big. 81 games, 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists — but the Zion-Queen defensive fit is the season’s biggest question.
Yves Missi, 22, Center — The incumbent center. Entering his third season with the starting job in reach, though he started just 14 games last year.
Jordan Poole, 27, Guard — The scoring guard. Instant offense off the bench — and a veteran presence for the young backcourt.
Bennedict Mathurin, 24, Guard — The only notable offseason addition, signed as a free agent. Reliable scoring on the wing.
DeAndre Jordan, 37, Center — The veteran anchor. Re-signed on a one-year deal to bring leadership to the league’s youngest frontcourts.
Head coach: Jamahl Mosley — First season. Fired by Orlando in May, hired by New Orleans weeks later — now tasked with turning talent into defense under basketball operations chief Joe Dumars.
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Star Spotlight: Stories You Should Know
The night Zion announced himself. January 22, 2020, vs. the San Antonio Spurs: after missing the first three months of his rookie season, Zion Williamson checked in and dropped 22 points in 17 minutes — including four straight three-pointers in the fourth quarter. The building shook. It was the most electric debut in franchise history, and it’s still the standard every Zion season gets measured against.
The 2018 sweep nobody saw coming. The Pelicans’ greatest playoff moment: as the No. 6 seed, Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday swept the No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers 4-0 in the 2018 first round — the franchise’s only playoff series win in the last decade and a half. Davis was unstoppable. The Warriors swept them the next round, and the AD era ended a year later. But for one spring, New Orleans was a problem.
The hold-on-to-them problem. Chris Paul. Anthony Davis. Zion Williamson. The Pelicans have had genuine superstars — and the franchise’s whole story is how hard it’s been to keep them. Paul was traded in 2011, Davis forced his way out in 2019, and every Zion summer brings a new round of rumors. If this team is ever going to matter, the answer starts with keeping its best players in New Orleans.
This Season (2026-27): The Mosley Experiment
Vegas set the win total at 28.5 — and USA Today projects 34-48, with the title odds at a distant +75000. The front office is essentially running it back: the same core, a new coach, and a hope that better health does the trick. Joe Dumars has said the goal is a Western Conference play-in berth. The talent is real — Zion, Murphy, Murray, Jones, the two sophomores in Fears and Queen — but so is the skepticism: pundits note that Queen and Zion look like a shaky defensive pairing, and that the Pelicans won more late last season by leaning on veterans at the expense of their young picks. If Mosley coaxes league-average defense out of this group and the kids take a leap, the play-in is in play. If not, February’s trade deadline could get very interesting — Murphy would fetch a haul.
Mark Your Calendar: Upcoming Games to Watch
Wondering when the Pelicans play? The Pelicans schedule opens at home — here are the early dates to circle, and grab your Pelicans tickets early:
- October 21 — vs Indiana Pacers (home opener, 8:00 PM ET, Smoothie King Center): The Mosley era tips off at home against a Pacers team that went 19-63 last year. A must-win opener.
- October 23 — at Utah Jazz (9:30 PM ET, Delta Center): First road game, late night, against a young Jazz squad. An early read on the new-look defense.
- October 24 — vs Denver Nuggets (home): Back-to-back nights, and it’s the Nuggets — last season’s 54-win West contender. A brutal early measuring stick.
- Early November — vs Houston Rockets (home): The Southwest Division war. Two teams going in opposite directions — the Pelicans have to prove they belong on the same floor.
- Early November — vs San Antonio Spurs (home): The Spurs are the West’s new standard at 62 wins. New Orleans needs to show it can hang with the division’s giant.
Biggest Rivalries — The Wars
1. Houston Rockets — The Southwest war. Division rivals with bad blood and bigger stakes now that Houston’s contending. The games at the Smoothie King Center always have an edge.
2. San Antonio Spurs — The giant next door. The Spurs are 62-win title favorites; the Pelicans are rebuilding. Nothing would feel better than spoiling the division’s coronation.
3. Dallas Mavericks — The old Hornets-era blood. The Mavericks tied New Orleans at 26-56 last year, and the Pelicans took the tiebreaker 3-1. Division pride is on the line every meeting.
4. Los Angeles Lakers — The AD wound. The team that took Anthony Davis and got a 2020 title out of it. Every Lakers visit to New Orleans is a reminder of what left.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the new Pelicans head coach?
Jamahl Mosley — fired by Orlando in May 2026 and hired by New Orleans weeks later, now tasked with turning the young core into a defensive team.
When the Pelicans play the Rockets in 2026-27?
Early November at the Smoothie King Center — the Southwest Division war against a contender headed the opposite direction.
Who are the best Pelicans players right now?
Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III and Dejounte Murray, plus sophomore guards Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen.
What is the Pelicans' greatest playoff moment?
The 2018 sweep: as the No. 6 seed, Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday swept the No. 3 Trail Blazers 4-0 — the franchise's only playoff series win in over a decade.
Show Your Colors
Won By Together — at Smoothie King Center or watching from home, true fans wear it. Gear up with quality fan sportswear — jerseys, tees and athletic wear built for real supporters:
Shop Fan Sportswear at Toxlay Sports →
Sources & official links: New Orleans Pelicans official site · New Orleans Pelicans tickets
Won By Together — new coach, same core, and one more chance to get it right.
