The New Orleans Pelicans brought their long search for a new head coach to a close Monday morning when the franchise announced they had hired Jamahl Mosley. He was previously the head coach of the Orlando Magic for the past five seasons before being fired following a blown 3-1 lead in round one against the Detroit Pistons. Mosley did an excellent job in his five seasons with the Magic, getting the team out of a rebuilding phase and helping turn them into a consistent playoff team.
Orlando had three straight playoff appearances, including this season, and a huge part of that was their defense. Over the last three seasons, the Magic were second in defensive rating in back-to-back years and then 12th this past campaign.
It's known around the NBA that Mosley is a defense-first head coach, and I don't envision that changing in New Orleans. For that reason, the likelihood that Herb Jones is back in a Pelicans jersey next season is much higher than it appeared to be before this hire.
Mosley may have just given Herb Jones a lifeline
Jones is coming off two straight down seasons that were riddled with injuries. Considering he signed an extension last summer, many fans felt this offseason was the perfect time to cut ties before he could drop his value any further and leave New Orleans stuck with a negative asset. But given that Mosley is a defensive-minded coach and Jones, when at full health and playing at his best, is a top-five defender in the world, it wouldn't be shocking to see him remain in the Big Easy.
It wouldn’t be shocking if one of the biggest draws for Mosley about the Pelicans vacancy was Jones and his ability to truly guard one through five. At full health, Jones is the type of defensive talent that coaches, especially those who lean defense-first dream of having.
The plan Joe Dumars, Troy Weaver, and now Jamahl Mosley appear to be putting in place for the 2026-27 season is to compete for a playoff berth. If Mosley can help rejuvenate and unlock the old Herb Jones, then that gives the Pelicans a big weapon to achieve that goal. Just two seasons ago, he was an All-Defensive First-Team member, finished top-five in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and shot 40-plus percent from three. If that is the Jones Mosley gets next season, then New Orleans ceiling instantly jumps up a few tiers.
For a while now, it felt like Jones could be the odd man out with Saddiq Bey's breakout and Trey Murphy III continuing to be a rising two-way wing. But now, things look completely different with Mosley at the helm; it's a lot easier to assume that the team's top defensive stopper will be given a real shot to bounce back next season.
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