The most revealing Jordan Poole possession of the preseason may have happened before Jamahl Mosley's proof-of-concept New Orleans Pelicans tipped off in Tulsa. Inside the office, the former NBA champion and the new head coach studied late-game situations, dissecting the reads and decisions that separate winning basketball from wasted opportunities. Later, they put one of those same plays into action during a team scrimmage. It was a small moment, but one that offered a glimpse into how Mosley intends to rebuild both Poole's reputation and the franchise's culture.
Previous roles and outside narratives will not dictate opportunity in Mosley's overhaul of the Zion Williamson-led Pelicans. That much has been made clear throughout the organization. It's a new day, with new demands to meet the standards required to win tomorrow. Though the two-time All-Star will get most of the attention, perhaps no veteran is better positioned to take advantage of that opportunity than Poole.
“Everybody has a clean slate with me,” Mosley stressed at a recent practice. “Obviously there are guys here that have earned the right to do some things, but this camp is having that clean slate and iron sharpening iron…I can only go off of what they are showing me here. I mean, we've scouted a guy, but once you get around them, it becomes a little bit different.”
After a turbulent period that saw his league-wide reputation fluctuate, the 27-year-old finally has a staff more interested in what he can become than what went wrong along the way.
“It's just that (championship experience),” Mosley noted. “(Poole's) ability to read the game, think the game; we actually sat in my office before the scrimmage and watched some end-of-game scenarios. Just being able to make quick reads. And then we were able to put in the same play that we watched during the scrimmage. So those things that he sees, he has a great IQ for the game, studies the game, loves the game, loves to play, and trying to figure it out. Being able to talk to him, see those (traits), hear those experiences that he had in Golden State is always special.”
For a player whose career has become as much about public perception as production, being appreciated for basketball intelligence rather than criticized for perceived mistakes represents a significant change.
“My personality is my personality, and I'm not going to change that,” Poole told ClutchPoints. “I think a lot of people gravitate towards that regardless of what is externally the viewpoint. Once we are inside the gym and hanging out, everything is always high spirits, high hopes. We love the game. There are things that we can bond over….The NBA season is a long season. I just tell the guys if there are any questions, or anything I can help with, just feel free to ask. I'm always open and telling them to feel free to ask questions. You can't learn if you don't ask.”
“I know what I put into it. I know how much work I put into it. I know how much time and dedication goes into my craft and how much I care about it,” Poole added. “I’m never cheating the game. Everybody has their own race. Everyone is running a different race, a different marathon. So, I think, you know, comparison is a thief of all joy. We've got to realize that we’re playing a game we love at the highest level.”
Part of playing at a championship level, or getting to play at all under Mosley, comes down to defense.
Pelicans back to basics
Defense is effort and a basic understanding of the game. At least that was the takeaway when assistant coach Dale Osbourne broke down defensive principles for local coaches at a recent clinic held at Bossier Parish Community College. Starting with the first calls after taking the job, the staff has made sure the players have heard the message as well.
“The communication has been good. I’ve gotten to know Coach Mosley a little bit throughout my years in the NBA. Just having an open line of communication. They want me to be me,” Poole said. “They want me to play-make, bring my championship-level experience, score the ball, and put my teammates in a position to be successful.”
Putting others in a position to succeed means sacrificing for the game plan. Some of the schemes really are elementary. Mosley even had his former high school coaches in to watch the fundamentals being taught in an NBA gym.
“Two of my assistants from high school were here (at practice),” Mosley confirmed to ClutchPoints. “They've always supported me from when I started as an assistant coach to now. It's great…because sometimes you forget what you were doing in high school, and now you take that full circle. We were talking about the defensive drills we used to do back in my high school, and implementing some of that here now is pretty cool.”
Poole would be pretty cool becoming one of the players that freedom, but getting stops comes first.
“Obviously, defense is a huge identity for us this year. So I'm just trying to be a leader, bring guys together,” Poole explained. “I think it's a fresh start with a new coaching staff; we still got the same players from last year, which is some good familiarity. I think they’ve been talking to us and leading us in the right way. Describing things, teaching things in the way they want things to be done. You never really know until the season starts, but I think so far it’s pretty solid.”
Fortunately, everyone knows this is a group effort. No one is going to change the negative narratives overnight or individually.
“I think something that (Mosley and the coaching staff) have made pretty clear is that defense isn’t just a one-on-one situation. We’re playing defense together as a team. So, the schemes need to be right,” Poole explained. “The team needs to be locked in on that side of the ball, a unit. I think from the years that I’ve played some high-level basketball, that was a priority, a focus. I think people tend to think that obviously defense is just an individual thing, but the best defensive teams are a good defensive team, if that makes sense. They’ve been teaching that so far.”
Article Continues BelowAs for using the championship experience to help the Pelicans get off to a winning start under Mosley? Well, Poole's offense must be a part of the puzzle.
“In terms of being assertive on the offensive end, I think they appreciate championship experience,” Poole said. “I think that matters for the coach, the guy who’s leading the team, to be able to appreciate playing at a high level and knowing what it takes to get there. They’ve been in the playoffs a few times in the last five or so years in Orlando. There’s been a lot of talking, and I guess we’ll really figure out how we want to put the pieces in place.”
In the end, the Pelicans know what Poole brings to the table. Mosley's job is making it all fit after the front office stood relatively pat this summer.
“I’m going to continue to do what I do in terms of becoming a better player, working hard, and then once you get put in the position in which you can succeed the most, and you can be yourself the most, a lot of things normally tend to just pan out for themselves,” Poole said. “It’s just a matter of when that is or what that looks like. But all you can do is focus on you. Control what you can control because trust me, bro, you’re wasting your time trying to figure out anything that’s outside of that. So feel like it’s pretty straightforward.”
EVP Joe Dumars and GM Troy Weaver could have moved on this summer, potentially sacrificing talent for financial flexibility. Instead, the organization retained Poole and entrusted Mosley with determining whether there was still a meaningful role for the former champion. Going by the early box scores, it appears the new coach sees plenty worth salvaging.
For a team searching for dependable bench production, the payoff could be substantial. Poole does not have to become the third-option or an offensive star for the Pelicans. Becoming a reliable sixth man, a willing playmaker, and a trusted contributor on both ends would represent a significant victory.
Mosley is not handing out unlimited offensive freedom without demanding something in return. The clean slate will not erase Poole's past, but it might finally stop defining his future.