The New Orleans Pelicans starting lineup is a very interesting talking point given teh current state of the offseason. It feels like the Pelicans' roster is mostly set at this point, and no major shakeups are coming down the pipeline. The expectation among many fans for Jamahl Mosley’s opening night starting five is: Dejounte Murray at the point, Trey Murphy III and Zion Williamson at the forward spots, and Yves Missi at the five. Notice how I didn’t mention who will be playing the other guard spot.
That was fully intentional, as it feels like that is the only spot in the starting lineup without a clear answer on who will be starting. There’s a plethora of players who could slot in there; between Jeremiah Fears, Saddiq Bey, Herb Jones, and Bryce McGowens, all have a case. But the two names I believe Jamahl Mosley will be deciding between are Jones and McGowens.
Both players offer two completely different skill sets, as Jones is that lockdown, all-world type defender, and McGowens is a floor-spacing connector. Whoever Mosley decides to go with will say a lot about how this team plays and operates in 2026-27.
Jones may have the slight edge over McGowens
Out of the two, McGowens is definitely the player with more of an uphill battle, as he doesn’t have the pedigree of Jones or the defensive-stopper potential that Mosley may want to lean into. However, he still has a strong case.
One thing that has been a continued Achilles' heel of the Pelicans since Zion has arrived has been their lack of floor spacing, and with a lack of roster changes, that isn’t going to magically improve. That’s where McGowens provides the most value, as last season, when he came on originally on a two-way deal, the immediate draw was his ability to consistently drill catch-and-shoot threes. Last season, McGowens shot 40.9 percent from three on 2.2 attempts per game. While his usage was low, that efficiency can’t be overlooked and isn’t overly unrealistic to remain very similar in a starting role.
Outside of Trey Murphy III, McGowens was the team's most reliable floor spacer and someone that, anytime he let it fly from deep, fans felt confident in. Slot that in next to Murphy III on the wings, and not only does it open up more space for Zion Williamson, it also takes some pressure off TM3 to be the team's only real threat from three.
The issue with throwing McGowens in at that two is now this team has zero perimeter stoppers. Sure, you have Murray and Murphy III, but they are both way more complementary defenders than true stoppers, and given Mosley’s defensive coaching style, that’s where Herb Jones’ case becomes strong.
In his final two years in Orlando, Mosley had the second-, second-, and 11th-best defensive rating. If the goal is to replicate that style of play in New Orleans, Jones starting is non-negotiable. The potential of giving Mosley a player who not too long ago was looked at as one of the five best defenders in the entire league is really, really intruiging. Not to mention, Jones was also a 40 percent three-point shooter at his peak, so he could bring that elite defense while also providing similar spacing to McGowens.
When you factor in Mosley’s track record as a coach, and the incredibly high upside a rejuvenated Herb Jones brings to this team, it’s hard to consider starting anyone else over him. While McGowens has all the potential to be a perfect complementary offensive piece, defense is always going to outweigh offense when you have a coach like Jamahl Mosley.
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