Can Jamal Mosley revive the mediocre New Orleans Pelicans?
- quansmith33
- May 19
- 2 min read
The New Orleans Pelicans have always been the stepchild of the New Orleans Saints when it comes to priority. The franchise has made questionable decisions like hiring Joe Dumar or trading away the first-round 2026 draft pick. Yet the franchise gets some bonus points for hiring Jamal Mosley, who is competent because he is a coach who can get the most out of his talent. As we all know, he was recently fired by the Orlando Magic for not watching enough Disney+ and blowing a 3-1 lead against the Detroit Pistons. In all seriousness, this is the right move, yet how far can he take them in an unforgiving West?
Do the Pelicans still believe in their current core?
If I am being honest, Jamal is going to a situation in his first season with some talent compared to his start with Orlando. They have Zion, Dejounte, Jordan, and Trey to name a few. They have youngsters in Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears who can ball. So, is the front office still committed to a core, because even with this talent, they are obviously still at the bottom, likely fighting play-in? Zion has yet to prove he can be the number one option due to injuries and distractions. New Orleans has had its fourth head coach in the last seven years, with only one playoff experience to show for it. For Jamal, the question is, can he find a way to elevate this core above play-in musical chairs and rise above their mediocre mentality?
What will they do with the roster?
New Orleans will likely run it back. They have 4.8 million in cap space, which isn't enough to do anything big for a team already with salary cap issues. The front office has potential extension talks with Zion, Saddiq, and Dejounte, which likely gives them nightmares every night if they don't perform well in the regular season. Honestly, this front office is better off seeing if their new head coach can develop the core to be committed to being a Pelican and not looking at the team has cancun destination.
Future outlook for next season?
Jamal Mosley was always going to get another job because of what he done in Orlando. If the New Orleans Pelicans were in the East he likely has a fringe playoff team that can make some noise. Yet he signing up for a tough job with talent yet question marks in the Western Conference. I believe New Orleans will be competitive more next season towards the lottery not winning (see what I did there). So Can Jamal Mosely find some Magic in New Orleans or he will be the latest head coach to be shown the door in Big Easy dysfunction?
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