With the 2025-26 season less than 2 weeks away, the New Orleans Pelicans are gearing up for their biggest challenge of the preseason. After taking a trip to Australia and taking on two NBL teams, the Pelicans will be back in the US to wrap up their preseason against the Houston Rockets, followed by the Orlando Magic.
Although the Pelicans' first two preseason games against both Melbourne United and SE Melbourne Phoenix gave fans a preview of this year's squad, they still have yet to be tested against a real NBA defense. Now, with their final two preseason games coming against two of the top five defenses in the league last season, fans will get a real taste of this group's ceiling.
Both of these teams have incredibly unique defensive personnel. With the Rockets, you have Tari Eason, a lengthy, switchable, and athletic wing, and Jabari Smith Jr., someone who can both protect the basket and hold his own on the perimeter. And then of course, you have Amen Thompson, a top 5 defender in the league and someone who poses a threat defensively for every position.
Then you have the Magic, who are more of a defense-by-committee. Obviously, they have Jalen Suggs, who sets the tone at the point of attack. However, it's their size, coaching, and depth defensively that make them so good on that end of the floor.
It's not just the defense that will test the Pelicans
While both teams will make things tough on the Pelicans' offense, they also pose a significant threat to their defense.
Both groups have rising superstars in Paolo Banchero for the Magic and Alperen Sengun for the Rockets. These two stars are surrounded by strong supporting casts, but what makes both these teams scary offensively is the additions their front offices made early in the offseason.
Prior to the NBA draft, the Rockets acquired Kevin Durant in a trade, and the Magic brought in Desmond Bane. For Houston, they had been missing that go-to guy in isolation, someone they could trust in the clutch, and they filled those needs with the greatest scorer of all time. To add KD to a team that was already in the top 12 in offensive rating last season is going to test Herb Jones and the rest of the Pelicans' defense in preseason.
For Orlando, they were a team that couldn't knock down a three-pointer to save their life last year and decided to fix that problem with one of the league's best sharpshooters. Bane is a career 41 percent three-point shooter, on extremely high volume at 7.5 three-point attempts per game. His ability to space the floor makes this Magic offense 10 times scarier than it already was.
To be tasked with facing two projected top-ten teams next season in their final 2 preseason games, both the Pelicans front office and fans will get a great look at what this year's squad is capable of. Fans will get to see if this team is set to be a bottom-feeder in the 2025-26 campaign or a real playoff contender.