Although it’s only been two preseason games for the New Orleans Pelicans, that doesn’t mean I can’t have my concerns about some of the stuff I’ve seen from new coach Jamahl Mosley, right? Obviously, there is a ton of experimentation coming from Mosley with lineups and rotations, which will always create some problems while also trying to implement a new system. However, if we look at Mosley’s time in Orlando, he was more than able to build a culture and elite defense. The issue was building a fluent, flowing, efficient offense.
Obviously, there were a ton of factors in why the Magic didn’t bring Mosley back, but if you talk to most fans of the team, the reason he wasn’t brought back was that he failed with the offense. He wasn’t able to maximize their two stars, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, on the court at the same time, and they needed someone who could, or at least do better than what Mosley was doing.
I’ve gone up to bat for Mosley several times since he arrived in New Orleans. His ability to build culture and develop young talent will benefit this organization massively, but in the early stages of preseason, I’m reminded why I personally ranked other candidates higher than him.
Offensive concerns have already arrived
I’m not going to sit here and act like I know more about running an effective offensive system than an experienced coach like Mosley. But I have felt concerned about some of the stuff he’s running early on. It feels like the Pelicans' plays have one read, and when that read isn’t there, it becomes a free-for-all. This has led to countless possessions in which the Pelicans generate no good looks, the ball sticks, a poor isolation becomes the fallback, or a turnover follows.
The other thing that has driven me insane, and this is very specific: the number of times Missi has been forced to be the decision-maker.
I get Mosley wants a free-flowing offense with a ton of passing and everyone involved, but him constantly putting Missi in situations where the play hinges on his decision is beyond annoying. Yes, it’s good to get Missi to learn how to make more reads and be more comfortable with the ball in his hands, but it’s happening too much and leads to blown-up plays or turnovers almost every time. He needs to start letting him just play his game and focus on screening and finishing plays.
With the Pelicans' spacing issues, running an offense in the modern NBA will be harder, so Mosley can’t take all the blame for how stagnant their offense has been through preseason. It would be a little more encouraging if we saw Mosley shake up his staff from his time in Orlando to New Orleans, but Brett Brielmaier, who was with the Magic, is still regarded as Mosley’s offensive coordinator.
I understand there’s still plenty of time before the regular season gets underway for the Pelicans to figure things out. To be fair, Jamahl Mosley still doesn’t even know what his best starting five-man unit is yet, so it's definitely still super early. But for a team that had issues with a bland, predictable offense the last two seasons, these early issues are definitely something I’m noting and keeping an eye on.
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