The New Orleans Pelicans enter the 2026-27 season with a big question mark surrounding their starting center spot. Throughout the 2026 offseason, it was well known around the NBA that the Pelicans needed help down low. But a move wasn’t made. Meaning, rolling into next season, New Orleans is going to need an all-hands-on-deck approach to filling minutes at the center spot.
The idea of sharing major center reps among three or four players on a team may sound daunting, but it can be extremely effective. With New Orleans having a trio of bigs in Yves Missi, Karlo Matkovic, and Derik Queen, who all have unique skillsets and can fit into plenty of different lineups, defenses will always be left guessing. Then you factor in Zion Williamson and Herb Jones, who provide two capable options if they want to go small.
New Orleans has the roster construction to attack every night with a different look at the five and to be a team whose rotation relies heavily on specific matchups.
Pelicans have multiple paths to solving their center problem
Given the experience and comfort level Missi has built over the past two seasons with the Pelicans, it’s fair to assume he’ll be the team's starting five man for the majority of next season. His rim defense, athleticism, and rebounding prowess make him the best all-around fit for this team and the most consistent source of backline help.
After him, the second big I would slot in is Karlo Matkovic.
Over his two years in the NBA, he’s shown a few things: jump-out-of-the-gym athleticism, elite finishing ability, and an outside shot that’s not super common at 6-foot-10. Last season he shot 42.2 percent from three and ranked in the 90th percentile among big men in three-point efficiency according to Cleaning the Glass. With the goal always being to spread the floor and create as many driving lanes as possible for Zion Williamson, having Matkovic out there has obvious positives.
On nights where the Pelicans see opponents like the Hornets, Warriors, and Celtics who have high three-point volume, don’t be surprised to see Matkovic get heavy playing time.
Derik Queen is interesting because at 6-foot-9 and with his thinner frame, he doesn’t project super well as a center at this point in his career. However, it wouldn’t be shocking to see around 25-30 percent of his minutes come next season with him as the Pelicans’ sole big man. Given the team's lack of depth behind Missi and Matkovic, they’ll need someone to eat up some minutes at the five, and Queen has the tools to be serviceable at center in small increments.
Now, when DQ, Missi, and Matkovic are off the floor, that’s when things get really intriguing. Jamahl Mosley only went small ball occasionally in Orlando, but with the Pelicans he’s getting a wing that he’s never had before in Herb Jones that can truly guard the one through five. Having a player that versatile allows the Pelicans to go small without struggling defensively. We saw James Borrego experiment with that last season, and I expect that experiment to continue at times with Mosley.
The inverse of what Jones provides at the five is what Zion provides. Instead of being elite defensively, Zion is elite offensively. If New Orleans really needs buckets, they can throw Z at the five, which will force the opposing big away from the basket and open driving lanes for the rest of the offense.
Although the Pelicans don’t have a clear solution at the five, they do have options with a ton of potential, making the position one of the most fascinating storylines to watch in 2026-27.
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