The New Orleans Pelicans began their 2026/2027 campaign on Wednesday night, falling to the Indiana Pacers in disappointing fashion. 

Dejounte Murray said after the game that they felt like they were in control the entire time and ended up just giving it away. The Pelicans did certainly have a chance to win this game, which is at least a solid sign for things to come.

This was just the first game under Jamahl Mosley, in his system, so some growing pains are expected.

Here are some takeaways from the night, though, which should have the fanbase feeling good:

There was a lot of talk over the past few weeks about Williamson taking more shots from three. He has been hard at work in practice, taking serious steps to add it to his game, but there was understandable doubt about how it would actually look in practice. The good news is, it seems to be real. He shot four threes, including one at each buzzer. Should Williamson be taking a three at every buzzer? No, but it was great to see him willing to shoot the ball. 

There was a lot of offseason hype about what Missi will bring to this team. He had a great stint with Cameroon in the FIBA qualifiers this summer, and he's carried that over to a fantastic start to this season. He had 13 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks. Mosley is counting on Missi for a lot on the defensive side of the ball this season, and he looks to be up to the task. The coach was very complimentary of Missi after the game.

It has been a while since Murray got to go out there and put up 34 minutes in a game of basketball. This season should serve as a reminder for a lot of people that Murray was once a Top 100 type of player, and still could be. His defense and rebounding are crucial in the starting lineup, and he led the team in scoring with 23 points and seven assists. It wasn't perfect when he was on the floor, but he looks ready for a lot of responsibility on this team. His fit with Fears as a starter is interesting if both are playing more like  ones and there isn't someone to take a backseat as a ball handler and work more off-ball.