The New Orleans Pelicans have spent most of Zion Williamson's career selling hope, only to watch injuries, inconsistency, and disappointing finishes turn optimism into another offseason of unanswered questions. Seven seasons into his career, the former first overall pick is still waiting to make his playoff debut. Jamahl Mosley's ‘All Crash' approach is here to change the narrative by finally winning an NBA Playoffs series.
After three preseason games, five key pillars to success seem obvious.
Zion Williamson works wonders
Forget the longshot MVP conversations and lack of championship expectations. Williamson's most important accomplishment this season would be playing meaningful postseason basketball. A healthy Zion in a playoff series forces opponents to build their entire game plan around stopping him, and that alone gives Mosley's Pelicans a puncher’s chance.
Getting there will require another All-NBA level season, including that pesky 65+ games played threshold. The entire calculus changes with Williamson in the starting five. He played 62 games last season, averaging 21 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 60.0% from the field (1-4 3PA). Expect those numbers to increase slightly, with a huge jump in three-point volume going by practice reports.
Trey Murphy III on trial
Every star needs a second option who makes the defense pay for overcommitting. Williamson cannot carry the Pelicans into postseason relevance alone. Fortunately, Trey Murphy III is approaching the point where being considered a complementary scorer no longer tells the full story. Murphy averaged 21.5 points last season while shooting 37.9% from beyond the arc. Those numbers already put him within striking distance of legitimate All-Star consideration. A repeat of a 25-5-5 on 50-40-90 season, plus a boost from Mosley's defensive schemes, will finally get the 26-year-old over that career hump.
Jamahl Mosley makes sense
Pull up the old Jim Mora clip. Playoffs? Win a series? How about just avoid the 10th seed and those Play-In Tournament games? There is only one world in which that happens, and it's where Jamahl Mosley's defensive game plan works. If so, Mosley will earn a few down-ballot Coach of the Year votes. The Pelicans finishing as a Top 12 defensive team would help shatter the low expectations, and Mosley plans to do so in basically every meaningful category.
The “All Crash” system has been excellent in both boosting rebounding numbers and limiting the opposition in transition points so far. Holding up against Tyrese Haliburton's Indiana Pacers on Opening Night will be the first chance to really win over the skeptics.
Dejounte Murray means business
Not every veteran needs to start. Dejounte Murray taking a step back into a Sixth Man of the Year role and becoming a great mentor for Jeremiah Fears is perhaps the most dynamic locker room decision Mosley must make sooner rather than later.
Murray’s experience and competitive edge accelerate the development of young talent around him. That is great for Fears and the Pelicans, but bad for Murray's minutes-per-game averages. Stats may suffer, but it does not sound like that matters right now. Everyone is figuring out what kind of race leads to a postseason podium.
Article Continues BelowBest-case scenario, the mentorship dynamic pays immediate dividends, creating a more connected and tougher group when the intensity rises in the postseason. Murray helps the Pelicans get through a rough regular-season patch, then steals a road game with a throwback performance.
Worst case? Murray helps the team tread water until the trade deadline, when the front office goes shopping for a true starting center that can pair with Fears until 2030. Either way, the 30-year-old understands it's just business and conducts himself accordingly.
Jeremiah Fears takes charge
Jeremiah Fears is becoming virtually unstoppable when attacking defenses off the dribble. After averaging 14.3 points and 3.4 assists while appearing in all 82 games as a rookie, Fears has already demonstrated the speed, creativity, and fearlessness required to become a special NBA guard. The comparisons to a younger, quicker Kyrie Irving no longer seem outrageous. Just watch the new moves the 20-year-old is bringing to the table this preseason.
His ability to break down defenders off the dribble, collapse defenses, and score at all three levels gives the Pelicans an extra gear in half-court playoff execution that they previously lacked. A devastating combination of hesitation moves, change-of-direction drives, and creative finishes around bigger defenders will lift everyone's offensive ceiling. Those traits, along with more freedom, should help Fears match those freshman numbers ( 17.1 points, 4.1 assists, and 1.6 steals) at Oklahoma.
Not bad for one of the league's youngest players.