When Joe Dumars was put in charge of the New Orleans Pelicans this past April, many fans wondered what the future of the organization would look like. Despite not having an incredible track record with trades and draft picks, one thing that can't be denied about Dumars is his success both on the court and in the front office. As a three-time NBA champion for the Detroit Pistons (twice as a player and once as a GM), Dumars has a great understanding of what it takes to win at the highest level in professional sports.
During a luncheon hosted by the Greater New Orleans Quarterback Club, Dumars spoke on some of the keys to building a contender, and even compared the Pelicans' depth to that of an NFL Dynasty.
“I said to Mrs. Benson, it is hard as heck to build a great team if you solely depend on one guy,” Dumars said. "And I said even when you saw a team like the Patriots, and you say Tom Brady is the GOAT, but usually people talked about what a great organization and great team they have."
“We want to be deep. We want to be 10, 11, 12 (players) deep. So if that generational talent isn’t (on the court) for two weeks, we still win. You can’t build a team, especially in professional sports, where you’re dependent on one guy. As great as Steph Curry is, their team is great.”
“My No. 1 thing in terms of team-building – we’re going to be so deep, I don’t care who misses (games), we’re still expected to win,”
Most experts are projecting the Pelicans to be towards the bottom of the Western Conference coming off a 21-61 season in 2024-25. However, Dumars' philosophy is the right one and will help the Pelicans reach contention in the very near future.
Depth has never been more critical then right now
Depth has always been important in pro sports, and Dumars' mention of a team like the New England Patriots is an excellent example of why. New England during the Brady era was a team that was one for all and all for one. They had tremendous talent at all positions, and even though Tom Brady may have been the poster boy, he wouldn't have had the success he had without the depth surrounding him.
We saw in this past season's NBA Finals that depth has never been more critical in the NBA then now, and it's extremely encouraging that Joe Dumars recognizes that. A huge reason the Indiana Pacers made the run to the Finals they did was because they could rely on 12 different players to give them minutes in a playoff series, which is now something Dumars is trying to copy.
When the previous front office was building around Zion Williamson, they underestimated the importance of having a deep roster, and it led to some major letdowns in years past. By addressing the need for depth, Dumars is showing he made note of the past front office mistakes when putting together this current roster.
In just one offseason, Dumars has started to lay the foundation for what he wants the Pelicans' culture to be for the next decade. He wants them to be a team that is so deep and well-rounded that it doesn't matter who's playing; the expectations are still the same.