The New Orleans Pelicans continue their second offseason with Joe Dumars at the helm with one goal in mind: getting back to the postseason in the 2026-27 campaign. Now that Jamahl Mosley is in place as the franchise's next head coach, the real change is likely coming as the front office shifts its focus to upgrading the roster so they can compete out West.
What if I were to tell you the players on the team are already making strides toward becoming a playoff team early in the offseason? I don't mean by working on their jumpers or improving their bodies, but rather by witnessing firsthand what a playoff atmosphere is and understanding how different a beast playoff basketball is.
When Dumars was speaking to the media following Mosley's hire, he noted that many players on the roster have been to playoff games to help them grasp what that experience is like.
"About half the team have been to games. They wanted to see it and feel it... [Queen] was talking about the intensity like "I haven't seen that in the regular season" I said "You're not going to see that in the regular season"
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) May 26, 2026
-- Joe Dumars on players attending playoff games pic.twitter.com/s9NqIdssI1
While the goal is to make the playoffs, with someone like Dumars running the show, success doesn't just stop there. Hearing that the team's young core is getting a firsthand look at what a playoff series looks like is another prime example of the culture shift that Dumars is trying to enact with this Pelicans core. This should give fans confidence that if New Orleans gets to the postseason in 2026-27, they'll be able to make some noise.
Joe Dumars is exposing the Pelicans' young core to playoff basketball
Players like Trey Murphy III, Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, and Saddiq Bey have all played in the postseason, and Zion Williamson has at least experienced things from the sidelines. For the team's young talent like Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen, Yves Missi, and Bryce McGowens, the case isn't the same. That group is expected to make up the top half of the Pelicans' second unit next season, and for them not having playoff experience could quickly get them played off the court in the postseason.
Dumars helping expose the young core to the intensity, energy, physicality, and overall higher level of play that playoff basketball demands is a great leadership move. Not only is it great from an awareness perspective, but it can also create an itch in the players that makes them work harder so they can be part of it next season.
Being aware of how much crazier playoff crowds are, how much more detailed scouting reports get, and the overall value in every possession isn't something you can learn from the regular season.
Like the line from one of my favorite Mobb Deep songs called Survival of the Fittest, playoff basketball really is "survival of the fit, only the strong survive."
The Pelicans are already trying to build a culture with Dumars and now Mosley that fits the playoff style of basketball perfectly as a tough, physical, and defense-first team. So that checks box No. 1. Dumars just checked box No. 2 by helping the players get access to live playoff games and adding to this core's hunger to become one of the top-eight teams in the Western Conference next season.
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