New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) reacts during the first half against the Detroit Pistons at Smoothie King Center. Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Ex-NBA Guard Patrick Beverley's Names Pelicans as Team to Watch

Originally posted on New Orleans Pelicans on SI
By Jack Haslett | Last updated Oct 3, 2025 6:34 PM ET

After a disappointing 2024-25 season, the New Orleans Pelicans are looking to bounce back in a big way.

With a lineup headlined by Zion Williamson, Kevon Looney, and a full season from Jordan Poole after he was acquired in a trade with the Golden State Warriors in June 2025, New Orleans has strong potential to rise this upcoming season.

Still, they will have to do so in a very tough Western Conference headlined by the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, a renewed Warriors squad, and the Lakers led by LeBron James and a seemingly new Luka Doncic.

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Pelicans crumbled last season with a 21-61 record that put them second to last in the conference, a major departure from the 2023-24 season that at least brought them to the playoffs as the eighth seed.

In light of their previous season's disappointment, expectations are low for New Orleans. The underdog position may be right where they need to be, however, and former NBA veteran Patrick Beverley has said to be careful not to underestimate the team from the Big Easy.

In an episode of The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone, Beverley was asked what team this upcoming season he'd recommend people not sleep on. Beverley responded quickly, much to his co-host's surprise, with the Pelicans.

Patrick Beverley Shares His Thoughts

Don’t Sleep on Pelicans this yearJust Sayin @PatBevPod
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) October 3, 2025

Beverley said he is optimistic about seeing Poole and Looney in the lineup and that Williamson had lost weight in the offseason, one of the major criticisms of the Pelicans star since his debut. Additionally, he said that Williamson's struggles in the past could be traced to a lack of relatable leadership within the team when he was an emerging player.

"It takes you having your trial-and-error, which is good in life with anything," Beverley said. "I haven't been doing this right, and someone helps me along and I can kind of be better at it.' And that's what I see in Zion. I think we have to give him a lot of credit."

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Beverley and his co-host contrasted what they considered a lack of mentorship for Williamson at the beginning of his career with an increase in leaders and accountability in the form of players like Herb Jones and Trey Murphy.

The stability that those players, along with their talent both defensively with Jones and shooting from the perimeter with Murphy, make New Orleans a more threatening team than they were a season ago. Beverley also gave credit to head coach Willie Green and doubled down on his prediction.