These are some of the largest questions looming for the New Orleans Pelicans as Media Day arrives.
Media day has finally arrived for the New Orleans Pelicans, allowing for the first chance to speak with the team's leadership in a few months. While it will be hard to get answers for everything, there are some specific things that stand out as important to find out.
Given that the last time there was a chance to speak with Joe Dumars was right after the hiring of Jamahl Mosley back in May, there is a lot of time in between that should be addressed.
Here are some of the biggest questions to hope to have answered before the day is over:
What is the development plan for Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen this year?
One of the main talking points of this offseason was that this team has been on "two timelines" as they try to compete with the veterans while also developing their two 2025 first round picks in Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen.
Fears and Queen became starters early last year, somewhat out of necessity, but actually ended up getting benched for much of the second half as the team tried to stack wins. Now, entering season two, they both are favored to begin the year coming off the bench. So what is the plan heading into their second NBA campaigns, to make sure they still have plenty of opportunity to develop.
At the end of last year, Joe Dumars said this team wasn't tough enough. Can a coaching change suffice to change that culture?
Dumars made a major statement after the season last year that this team didn't show enough toughness. That's why many people thought they'd be a bit more proactive in changing personnel, but the biggest change came at the head coach.
Mosley and his staff are known for their defensive acumen. Is that going to be enough to change this team's mindset on that side of the ball? Was it a culture problem, or a talent problem in the past? How is this team really going to be tougher this season?
They've seen the health buy-in from Zion Willamson, what's next?
Heading into last year, Dumars laid out the expectations for Williamson. They needed to see more buy-in in every phase. To Williamson's credit, he answered the call. By all accounts he took a massive leap as a leader and as a teammate. The health turned around, he started to play through more, and should be proud of the progress he made.
Still, though, the team has a looming decision as they are entering the penultimate year on his contract. What is Dumars looking to see from Williamson this season?
