After a long and mostly inactive offseason, the New Orleans Pelicans are finally about to return to the court for their first preseason game of the year against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

This will be the debut of the team under new head coach Jamahl Mosley and his staff. The roster is mostly the same, but the game plan and system are entirely different. While certainly not a finished product, it'll be fun to see where the team is at.

Here are some things to keep an eye on in this first game:

Right now, three players are considered locks to start: Dejounte Murray, Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy. Yves Missi is quickly running away as the favorite to start at center and Herb Jones is the logical choice to close the group out, but everything still has to be decided upon. Mosley has said he's already shifted around the starting group at practice around five times.

Even past the starting lineup, it'll be hard to decide who gets the first looks off the bench with a surprisingly deep roster. There is a lot of talent, but the coaching staff will look to be the first ones to figure out how to put it together correctly.

Nothing will be decided after this game, but it'll be interesting to see how different players fit together on the court in this system.

Ever since the Mosley hire was made, the Pelicans have put an emphasis on defense. The system is still being installed, so it may not look perfect, but the coaches are going to expect an "A" in the effort category.

The defensive intensity was picked up in their practice scrimmage at St. Augustine the other day, but that was against themselves. Even in the preseason, facing a squad like the Thunder will be a tougher challenge. If things are already looking better in this game, it could be a good sign for the season. At the minimum, the team should look like they're trying more.

While the defense looked progressed in that scrimmage, the offense did not respond well. Mosley did say that it was by design, as the defense is always ahead of the offense at the start of camp. 

As good as it is to see the team placing an increased focus on defense, it certainly wasn't the only issue last year. Spacing, consistent shot-making and overall offensive creativity were all lacking. Pretty much every player has focused on their jump shot this offseason, plus having a veteran like Murray at point guard should lead to a more trustworthy baseline, at least.

Anyone who can get off to a hot start shooting the ball will help their case for minutes this year.