The New Orleans Pelicans have had an extremely active off-season. Drafting Jeremiah Fears at No. 7, trading up to draft Derik Queen at No. 13, signing Kevon Looney, but the move that got the party started this off-season was trading for Jordan Poole. This move has only made the Pelicans deeper and given them a new secret weapon when healthy.
To start the 2025-26 season, Poole is expected to be New Orleans' starting point guard playing alongside Herb Jones, Trey Murphy, Zion Williamson, and Kevon Looney. However, when Dejounte Murray makes his return from injury, someone is going to have to lose their starting spot. Being a starter is something Murray has earned not only because of his production but also because of his leadership.
Many people have pointed to Herb Jones being the Pelican to come off the bench, and while that creates a fun offensive backcourt of Poole and Murray, the defense would struggle immensely. Jones is one of the NBA's best defenders and just inked a multi-year extension this summer with the Pelicans, so in my eyes, he must be a starter, no matter what the circumstances are. The same applies to Murphy and Williamson; both are critical parts of what the Pelicans have been doing over the past three to four seasons.
This leads me to believe that Jordan Poole will be the Pelicans' sixth man when healthy. Poole coming off the bench is absolutely a secret weapon. Over his career, his most successful season from a winning perspective was when he served as the spark-plug scorer off the bench for the Golden State Warriors.
This could put the Pelicans over the top
Shortly after the NBA draft, Joe Dumars mentioned during a press conference that he had spoken with both Poole and Saddiq Bey, and both players said they would do whatever the team needs. Poole coming off the bench when Murray returns from injury is exactly what this group needs.
During his time with the Warriors, Poole was the X-factor, as any given night he could explode for a big performance off the bench. During Golden State's 2022 playoff run, he was crucial in them winning it all. If it weren't for his performance in games one, two, and three vs the Denver Nuggets, they may have never made it out of the first round.
Poole had 30 points in Game 1, 29 points in Game 2, and 27 points in Game 3, which helped give the Warriors a 3-0 series lead to start round one.
During that playoff run with the Warriors, Poole was just 22 years old and outside of scoring, there wasn't much else to his game. Now, he's 26 and has improved tremendously as a three-point shooter and playmaker. He shot 37.8 from deep last season on over nine attempts per game. On top of that, he dished out 4.5 assists per game.
With Poole entering his prime next season, he could be set to have a big season for the Pelicans. When healthy, he should be the team's sixth man, as it's not only a role he's familiar with but one he thrives in. Having him off the bench is a luxury and something teams in the West are going to struggle to counter.