No matter what the discourse is surrounding the New Orleans Pelicans as they gear up for the 2026-27 season, nothing matters if Zion Williamson isn’t healthy and playing at an elite level. Given all the work we’ve seen Z put into his body over the last two offseasons, it doesn’t seem like those nagging injuries he once dealt with will return. However, the production he can provide remains a question mark, and one of the people who can help answer that question is new head coach Jamahl Mosley.
Since Joe Dumars has arrived in New Orleans, the message has been clear: he and Troy Weaver like the roster they have and believe they can compete with this group. What they’ve been searching for is the right coach to bring their vision to reality, and they believe Mosley is that guy.
Now, I’m not going to act as if I know better than Mosley, but if he plans on maximizing both Zion and this team as a whole, he needs to put the ball in his star's hands. We’ve seen Z grow into a strong decision maker, someone who can be trusted with the ball and, because of the attention he draws, can create advantages for his teammates. This is why putting the ball in his hands and letting the offense run through him needs to be something Mosley focuses on implementing.
Jamahl Mosley has the perfect Zion Williamson blueprint
When we look back at the Orlando Magic teams Mosley coached, the No. 1 thing that stands out is how elite they were defensively. What finishes a close second to that is how much he empowered his star forwards, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, to drive the offense. In 2024-25, when Orlando was one of the league's most fun teams, both Wagner and Banchero had usage rates higher than 31 percent.
Whether it was having them initiate the offense, get the ball in the short roll, flat-out score a bucket, or be a handoff passer, there were very few possessions where one of Wagner or Banchero didn’t touch the rock. Unlike some coaches, Mosley didn’t put his forwards in a box—he built an offense around their versatility.
That’s the type of approach Mosley needs to, and I believe he will bring to Zion in the 2026-27 season.
Last season, Zion posted career lows across the board because he had by far the lowest usage rate of his career. For a forward whose best trait is creating advantages, taking the ball out of his hands naturally limited his impact. If he can inch back into that near 30 percent usage rate range, the Pelicans would be in a prime spot to thrive in year one of the Mosley era.
Having Zion back in that five-assists-per-game range is exactly what this team needs offensively to cover up their subpar three-point shooting.
Anytime Zion drives to the rim, he’s going to demand a ton of attention, which will create clean looks for both Dejounte Murray and Trey Murphy III, who thrive off the catch from three. Mosley bringing the drive-and-kick offense he ran in Orlando to New Orleans, with Zion playing the role Wagner or Banchero did, could be part of the Pelicans' path to building a strong offense.
The Pelicans need the best possible version of Zion Williamson next season if they hope to compete for a playoff berth. And the best version of Z is the one that is making decisions, creating for his teammates and driving an offense, and Jamahl Mosley’s track record suggests he’s going to let him do just that.
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