What Needs To Happen For The Pelicans To Out-Perform Projections Next Season?

According to a recent piece by ESPN, they project the Pelicans to finish as the 14th seed yet again in the Western Conference with a record of 26-56, a five-game improvement from a season ago. Given how talented the West is, it wouldn't be surprising to see New Orleans finish that low, but there's also a world where they finish as a play-in or postseason team.

Therefore, what has to happen for that to become a reality?

Zion Williamson Is Healthy And Plays At An All-NBA Level

Since being drafted into the NBA in 2019, Williamson has appeared in just 214 regular-season games, as Jarrett Culver and Romeo Langford are the only other lottery selections from 2019 to appear in fewer games (both appeared in just four seasons). However, he ranks second in win shares among lottery selections and boasts the class's best points per game average.

In terms of all-around, Williamson might've been at his best toward the end of this past season, averaging 24.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.8 assists after the All-Star break with a true shooting percentage of 62.3%. Asking Williamson to play at an All-NBA level is the easy part of this hypothetical, but he can change New Orleans' season around if he plays upward of 65 games.

New Orleans' Continues To Invest In The Development Of Trey Murphy III

Based on recent reporting, the Pelicans have zero interest in moving on from either of their talented wing players, which includes fifth-year forward Trey Murphy III. He was a non-factor as a rookie with the Pelicans, but really showed that he has All-Star level potential this past season after averaging 21.2 points per game.

If New Orleans really doesn't want to move him, they need to put him in situations where he has the ball in his hands. The addition of Poole should realistically serve as an upgrade over McCollum, as the Pelicans should be putting Murphy in a similar role to the one Ingram played before his departure.

If he can put up 17-18 shots per game while still providing value off-ball, he could surprise people and be an All-Star candidate next season if the Pelicans find themselves in the playoff hunt by the break.

Willie Green Needs To Iron Out His Rotations Early

Not only was New Orleans one of the worst offensive teams in the league last year, but they were also one of the worst defensive teams. Therefore, heading into the 2025-26 season, head coach Willie Green needs to make sure he's putting the best-fitting lineup on the floor, not just the most talented one.

While not superb offensive talents, players like Jose Alvarado, Herb Jones, and Kevon Looney will need to be put into this rotation to balance out the offensive-heavy players like Williamson, Fears, Queen, and Poole.

If the Pelicans truly want to avoid the bottom of the standings, which they get no benefit from being in, Green might need to defer to the veterans more and hold back the rookies to try and win games. Queen and Fears could very well turn out to be winning players, but Alvarado and Looney might just make more sense to put wins in the column.