Now that the New Orleans Pelicans have filled their 15-man roster and no more moves seem imminent, attention turns to the best way new head coach Jamahl Mosley can maximize the current personnel. The NBA is a game of matchups, and bringing in lineups that create mismatches for the defense is the path to success these days.
With the Pelicans winning just 26 games last year, there weren't many opportunities to exploit the opposition. However, New Orleans played its fair share of clutch games, but it couldn't capitalize in those situations. The team went 12-30 in clutch contests, with turnovers and porous three-point shooting dooming them in many of those games.
One five-person lineup the team used saw moderate success . The rotation of Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, Saddiq Bey, and Zion Williamson played 110 minutes together last season, registering a +7.8 net rating and shooting 40% from the three-point line. Those minutes were limited by Murray's return last season from an Achilles tendon tear the year before.
New Orleans acquired Murray in the summer of 2024, hoping he could re-create some of the late-game magic he performed the previous year with the Atlanta Hawks. In his final season with the Hawks, the Seattle native made three game-winning shots and had the third-highest points average in clutch time in the entire league. New Orleans desperately needed some of that playmaking last season.
Murray helps out defensively as well, and the emergence of Murphy III as a viable defender, matched with the defensive prowess of Herb Jones, makes the Pelicans a formidable perimeter defense. All three of those players averaged 1.5 steals per game last season. The ability to switch all three players defensively gives the team much-needed flexibility.
Although the sample size is extremely small, the fact that the group averaged 40% shooting from downtown is a welcome sign. New Orleans was near the bottom of the league in shooting from deep, and clutch situations magnify the deficiency, especially when Zion Williamson is on the team. Without the Pelicans being able to burn teams from beyond the arc, teams would often crowd the paint and now allow driving lanes for Williamson to the basket.
A consistent shooting showing from New Orleans would have teams switch the way they guard the Pelicans. All five of those players can handle the ball and pass efficiently enough in multiple offensive sets, giving them solid versatility late in games. The one major question mark would be interior defense.
It's no secret that one of the major weaknesses for the team last season was their inability to protect the paint. Teams could score easily in the paint or create second-chance opportunities with offensive rebounds. This group doesn't solve that issue, but the pressure they could generate in the backcourt could make it harder for teams to get into their offense, possibly causing turnovers that lead to easy transition baskets.
The Murray-Murphy-Jones-Bey-Zion quintet represents New Orleans' ultimate closing weapon. It gives the Pelicans the offensive punch, floor spacing, and perimeter length required to compete with teams in the clutch.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/pelicans/onsi as One Pelicans Lineup to Look Forward to Next Season .
