The most intriguing move Joe Dumars made during his first offseason running the New Orleans Pelicans was the acquisition of Jordan Poole. JP was coming off a career year with the Washington Wizards and fit New Orleans' younger timeline better than CJ McCollum did, and was a fun upside swing by the front office. The Poole party never really made a splash in the Big Easy as he averaged 13.4 points and 3.1 assists per game, while shooting just 37.2 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three.
Those numbers were incredibly disappointing after a 2024-25 season with the Wizards, where he averaged 20.5 points per game and shot 37.8 percent from three on over nine attempts per game.
The Pelicans have had a very quiet summer and are set to have 14 of the 15 players on last season's roster return, despite coming off a 26-win season. This makes Poole's bounce-back a vital piece and even a potential X-factor in where New Orleans lands in the West next season. If he can get back to being the shifty, crafty shot-creating scorer he was just a few years ago, Poole could really help raise the Pelicans' ceiling.
JP needs to get back on track
When looking at the archetype of player the Pelicans may have missed most last season, a bucket-getting guard is toward the top of the list. New Orleans didn’t have someone they could trust late shot clock in tight situations to get creative and score from the perimeter.
If Poole bounces back next season, he can be that.
Last season, JP was put in a tough spot starting the year as the team's starting point guard with Dejounte Murray still sidelined. Poole wasn’t ready for that type of spotlight and quickly saw his role diminish with the Pelicans. That shift helped Jeremiah Fears break out and set Poole up for a safer role in 2026-27. Between Murray and Fears, New Orleans has two guys capable of taking lead guard reps, placing Poole in a lower-leverage role.
This time around, instead of being tasked with running an offense to start the season or being the lead creator, he gets to focus on being a sparkplug off the bench. We’ve seen in the past this is the type of role JP excels in, going back to his breakout and NBA championship with the Warriors. Putting him in that type of role off the bench under a player's coach like Jamahl Mosley are two valuable ingredients to a bounce-back recipe.
So although Joe Dumars hasn’t shaken up his roster at all this offseason, a Jordan Poole bounce-back could help put the Pelicans right back in the mix in a packed Western Conference.
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