After previously talking about Saddiq Bey's goals for the 2025-26 season, it's time for part five of my series, where I give goals for the entire New Orleans Pelicans roster for this next season. In this part, I'll be talking about the player who came over with Bey in the CJ McCollum trade, Jordan Poole.
Poole is going to be a huge addition for the New Orleans Pelicans this season. Coming off a career year in his second season with the Washington Wizards, JP is going to be ready to play meaningful basketball again.
Last season, Poole averaged 20.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in just 29.4 minutes a game. He also shot an unreal 37.8% from three on 9.1 attempts per game, which put him fifth highest in three-point attempts per game last season.
For New Orleans, this is huge, as last season they ranked bottom five in both three-point attempts and makes. This makes the addition of a high-volume, high-efficiency shooter like Poole a big one, and one that could help raise their offensive ceiling.
On top of that, after the disaster that was last season, the Pelicans now have healthy point guard play. Which is something many of us expected them not to have, with Dejounte Murray expected to miss the start of the 2025-26 season.
For Poole’s goals this season, I think he should have an overall season goal and a mid-season goal.
Remain in the top 10 in three’s attempted and hold things down while Dejounte is out
For year one of the Jordan Poole experience to be a success, I believe a key goal should be for him to effectively fill the starting point guard role while Dejounte Murray is out.
We know that throughout JP’s entire career, he’s at his best as a spark plug shot creator off the bench, which is the role he played in Golden State, and we saw how that worked out. However, with him coming in his best year of his career as a starter with the Wizards, I believe he’ll be able to hold things down as a starter while fans wait for the return of Dejounte Murray.
Realistically, New Orleans should have Murray back by December, so all they really need is 30 games as a starter from Poole, which he is more than capable of doing.
His other goal should be to keep up his incredible shooting. For Poole to shoot over 35% from three on more than nine attempts a game last season is unreal and could take the Pelicans' offense to a whole new level. During the Zion Williamson era, New Orleans has never had someone who is as big a threat from distance as Poole is, and it may open this offense up to new possibilities.
If JP can stay in that top 10 in attempts and shoot above 37% from three again, we are in for an absolute treat next season.