New Orleans Pelicans Only Have Defense On Their Minds For 2026

Brand new head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans Jamahl Mosley was introduced to the fanbase on Tuesday, and was quick to set some expectations about what to expect from his team next season: defense.

Between speaking to both Mosley and Pelicans president of basketball operations Joe Dumars on Tuesday, it became clear that it was the connecting line between the two.

"You can ask about the offense all you want, we're going to do it defensively. We're not going to skip steps and it's going to be a daily set of work," Mosley said to get ahead of reporters when opening up his press conference for questions.

It's why the rumors that Mosley was a top candidate for the job before he was even fired from the Orlando Magic made a ton of sense. Mosley almost feels like if a candidate was built for Dumars.

The 47-year-old played has been coaching in the NBA for over 20 years now and preaches defense above all else. It was part of what helped him turn the Magic around.

Orlando had a bottom-10 offense in 2023/2024, but had the third-best defensive rating in the league at 110.8 and finished the year 47-35. They had the second-best defensive rating in the NBA the season after, at 109.1

New Orleans finished this past season with a defensive rating of 117.6. It was porous at times and really kept them from being competitive in a handful of games. There is a chance that there won't be that many dramatic changes made to the roster, but Mosley still feels like there are the pieces to be a good defensive unit. They just need buy-in.

"I think part of defense is strategy, some of it's philosophy, and then the other side of it is will and want. I think you've got to be willing to do it, and then you've got to want to do it. There are a lot of times you'll see clips for any team that a guy knows where to be and he ain't there," said Mosley. "Either you don't know what to do, don't want to do it or you can't do it. One of those three got to be the thing."

It's not just that Mosley believes anyone can defend in the NBA; the Pelicans also have the personnel to be good on that side. He mentioned Micah Peavy, Derik Queen and Yves Missi, three players who were in attendance, as three potential versatile defenders.

If Mosley can turn Queen into a reliable NBA defender, then New Orleans could have a true superstar on their hands, but that's mostly besides the point. For the coach, it's mostly about finding which players work together best.

"Combination is going to be all over the place, I think, because there's such a talent level with this group. So we've got ot just find out what works best and guys that can play off of each other," said Mosley. "High IQ is helpful. Guys that know how to play the game of basketball. It doesn't necessarily say you're a four, you're a three, you're a five. Can you play? And can you make your teammate better?"

Getting consistent defensive effort out of this roster is just one thing that Mosley can do to quickly win fans over next season. He's already doing a good job of that from the way that he's been speaking since being hired, as well.