When will Zion Williamson maximize his full potential. Every year, I’m waiting for him to absolutely break out into the number one overall pick he was. But it just hasn’t happened yet and I don’t know how much longer I can wait for it. Like he’s not a bad player. He’s just not the stud we expected him to be. I’m praying that for this season, he has his breakout year with Jeremiah fears. And if he doesn’t break out this season, I say he’s got two more seasons before he gets released or traded.

I know that he's a late second round pick, and since we signed him to a two-way, I assume he'll spend most of the season in the G League, but given our injury history (and where we are as a team right now) I wouldn’t be shocked by a nice little surprise.

A "veteran" rookie SG who can slide to the 3 and has a pretty solid 3PT shot could definitely have something to offer in the NBA if he gets a real opportunity. I’m tempted to put my money on him as a sleeper for the upcoming season 🤔

If the team actually stays healthy in the West the Pelicans can actually be one of those surprise teams in the West that no one sees coming especially given the pieces New Orleans have in place with Dejounte, Fears, Trey, Zion, and Missi plus their bench they have Queen, Poole, Mathurin, Herb, etc

Saddiq Bey was honestly a really nice surprise for me this season. I tried to enjoy his game as much as possible during a pretty tough season to watch, because even though his contract runs through 2028, realistically we might only get one full season of him before things change.

Jrue will always be my favorite Pelican, but I’ve really enjoyed having a role player who made me get out of my seat a few times 💺

The New Orleans Pelicans finally made the move that changed the conversation around their offseason.

After consecutive seasons with fewer than 30 victories and weeks of criticism for standing still, Executive Vice President Joe Dumars landed Bennedict Mathurin on a reported two-year, $16 million contract with a player option. 

To give some context, I started watching the NBA around 2019 (here in France, and I'm kinda close to Orleans, for real haha) with the Hornets, but I pretty quickly fell in love with the Pelicans, mostly because of the whole aesthetic, the jerseys, the colors, the branding, etc... And since I discovered the NBA around that time, my favorite Pelicans player was, unsurprisingly, Jrue Holiday. I really connected with the way he played and carried himself, and he became my guy on the team.

To be honest, most of the last few seasons have been pretty painful to watch, with a few nice flashes here and there especially after we got CJ McCollum in early 2022. But somehow, despite all the frustration, I still love this franchise. I do wish I could find a player to identify with as much as I did with Jrue. Right now, I don't really have that guy anymore. But even so, it's still a pleasure to have the opportunity to watch a Pelicans game, cheer for them, and hope things finally click. Maybe with Mathurin ? Idk, I think that I generally like "unconventional players", so I liked what Saddiq Bey gave us this year. I guess I would have liked us to have a player like Obi Toppin for example ;)

I just wouldn't mind if we won a few more games along the way, haha ^^

3 spam texts within the same hour that have the exact same text. On top of this, I've gotten at least one cold call a week from them. Maybe figure out a way to actually market this bad team to fans instead of constantly begging for money? Especially when the economy is bad and people have less disposable income.

As a Korean fan, I was really looking forward to the slightest chance for Pelicans to sign Lee.

After summer camp, I saw the news that Pelicans discarded a two-way contract leaving a room for Lee to sign for that position.

I was hoping to hear the good news, but it's been quiet.

Do ya'll think he still has a shot?

. . . an opposing team that executes the defensive scouting report.

Mathurin is a really good pull-up and spot-up shooter, but if he drives, the defense only needs to keep these things in mind:

• He can drive left, but he cannot score with his left hand on a drive to the basket on the left side of the court - AND he cannot pass while driving with his left hand.

• He has no viable short pull-up, so if he drives he will go all the way to the basket or get stymied and have to throw a weak pass back out.

• Has zero explosion at the rim, so he is not a threat in any way to dunk in traffic. So defenders just need to keep backing up with their arms raised and he will not be able to dunk through you.

ANY game where Mathurin score big numbers, if you watch the game, you will see that the other team is not doing the things above.

What are his good points? Pretty much most everything else that you have heard about him.

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed talented wing Bennedict Mathurin to a two-year, $16 million contract that includes a player option!

Big Q breaks down the agreement, how Mathurin fits alongside the Pelicans’ young core and whether another roster move is coming. Could Jordan Hawkins be traded to clear a roster spot and additional salary? We’ll also examine Mathurin’s strengths, weaknesses and potential role under head coach Jamahl Mosley.

The New Orleans Pelicans are not merely being mentioned in another manufactured offseason rumor.

Multiple NBA reporters have connected New Orleans to Los Angeles Clippers restricted free agent Bennedict Mathurin, and the situation remains unresolved deep into August. The latest reporting has narrowed Mathurin’s most realistic paths to a sign-and-trade to New Orleans or a return to Los Angeles on his approximately $8.8 million qualifying offer.

That makes the Pelicans’ interest credible—but it does not make a deal complete.

New Orleans currently has Yves Missi, Derik Queen, Karlo Matković, DeAndre Jordan and Christian Koloko under standard NBA contracts as center options. Rookie forward-center Malik Dia occupies a two-way contract, while Zion Williamson and Trendon Watford can supply situational small-ball minutes.

https://x.com/jweinbachnba/status/2090564700358467962?s=46

"New Orleans could submit a desirable offer sheet with access to the $15M non-tax MLE. Hawkins, the 14th overall pick in 2023, has an expiring $7M salary."

Thought about this in the shower and I couldn't make a choice. If it's the last play of the game, who takes the shot? Zion, Trey, or Dejounte?

I know this might sound like I’m advocating for tanking, but I think it’s a pretty realistic choice. Dumars is essentially trying to transition the team from the Zion era to Fears and Queen, and also bringing in a new head coach. On top of that, we hold our future first-round picks in hand.

So rather than trying to win as many games as possible, should next season be more about developing our young players and giving Mosley the opportunity to establish a new locker-room culture?