One of the main reasons the New Orleans Pelicans have started this season with a 4-22 record is injuries. Zion Williamson, Herb Jones, and Jordan Poole have all missed extended periods of time.
Because of that, the Pelicans have had to rely on players who weren’t expected to be part of their rotation on a nightly basis. Micah Peavy and Bryce McGowens have been two players who have taken the opportunity created by other players missing time and run with it. But now, with players returning, their spot in the rotation is starting to disappear.
Peavy and McGowens are both bringing so much value in their minutes for the Pelicans that they need to remain staples of this team rotation. Since New Orleans doesn’t have their first-round pick in the 2026 NBA draft, interim head coach James Borrego is still more focused on getting wins than developing. This means the only way to keep McGowens and Peavy’s spots in the rotation would be by trading one of the team's veterans.
The Pelicans are in a place where, yes, winning games still holds a ton of value as it’ll help the team's young players build winning habits. At the same time, developing young talent and getting these two more reps will benefit them in the long term, which should be the outlook the front office focuses on.
Whether it’s Williamson, Poole, Jones, or even Dejounte Murray, it doesn’t matter, but the Pelicans do need to trade one or two of them to clear space for McGowens and Peavy to play.
Peavy and McGowens are showing they hold value for the present and the future
The Pelicans can still win games by playing these two, and Thursday night against the Portland Trail Blazers was a perfect example of that.
Peavy, who didn’t play until just after the four-minute mark in the third quarter, came in and was a jolt of instant hustle for this team. He managed to finish the game with a putback basket and a three for five points, three rebounds, and one assist in just 11 minutes. You rarely see a young player make the most of their minutes like the way Peavy did last night, as this performance felt like his way of saying I still belong in this rotation.
McGowens continued to show how he can be a Caris LeVert-type player for this team, as someone who can score at all three levels and brings size to the guard position. Thursday, he matched his career-high 23 points, while also grabbing seven rebounds and shooting 5/5 from beyond the arc.
Both players are impact players who bring unique skillsets—Peavy as a gritty wing and McGowens as a microwave scorer. They do this while both being 24 years old or younger, making them not just important pieces for now but for the Pelicans in the long term.