Jamahl Mosley Hopes New Orleans Pelicans' Team Chemistry Will Provide Results
· Yahoo Sports
The New Orleans Pelicans brought in a new coach this offseason with the goal of reshaping their identity.
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Jamahl Mosley's plan to accomplish that was already put into place this offseason and continues as training camp begins. It is focused on three key things: defensive effort, keeping each other accountable and overall team chemistry.
In the past, the Pelicans have looked to Herb Jones to be their defensive anchor. Dejounte Murray filled a similar role. Mosley is calling for everyone to compete on that side of the ball.
“These guys have all bought in,” said Mosley. “They can hold each other accountable night in and night out. There are great players in this league, and you’re not shutting them all down. So your ability to make it difficult for them night in and night out is a five-man job.”
If there is one certain thing, it's that Mosley and his staff know more about what it takes to turn around a defense than most people who were in the building last season. Any advice that they give should be taken seriously.
During his time with the Orlando Magic, they were known for their defensive intensity. Trey Murphy joked that he would get extra treatment before playing the Magic because he knew how tough they would make things every game.
This was how the Magic ranked in terms of defensive rating each season, starting with the year before Mosley arrived:
2020/2021: 26th
2021/2022: 19th
2022/2023: 18th
2023/2024: 3rd
2024/2025: 2nd
2025/2026: 13th
They did have some players who were known for their defensive acumen already, but they also got the most out of others. But how did they do it? One of Mosley's main talking points was open and honest communication. He's had an emphasis on building the team's relationship off the court, so that it makes playing together even easier.
There was a lot of time spent together among teammates this offseason. Mosley broke down a bunch of pairs that formed, along with the entire roster coming together at other points.
Dejounte Murray was with Jeremiah Fears in Seattle. DeAndre Jordan hosted Derik Queen. Zion Williamson was working with Saddiq Bey in South Carolina. Trey Murphy and Herb Jones were together in Los Angeles. The hope is that the on-court chemistry improves because of that work.
"I think the mental side is 80% of this game. There's a lot of outside noise, and you can't control it. There's nothing you can do about it," said Mosley. "So your ability to focus on what's going on in the locker room with your teammate... our ability to focus only on what we can control, which is our effort, our attitude, our energy, our defensive focus, sharing the basketball. Those things are what we can control."
All of these things will require every one of these Pelicans players to sacrifice. There may be some who used to give less effort on the defensive side because of what they brought to the offense. That clearly won't be acceptable anymore.
"I think for us to achieve anything that we say we want to do, everybody has to have a level of sacrifice to giving in a part of themselves for the greater good of the team. That's just what makes successful teams successful," said New Orleans' new coach.