Fresh expectations arrive with new leadership for the New Orleans Pelicans as former Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley takes over for a franchise badly in need of a turnaround.

While Mosley brings new eyes to the challenge ahead, the roster isn’t that different from the one that won 26 games a year ago.

As the group comes back to the Smoothie King Center with a shared goal of returning to the playoffs, many questions remain about the team that Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars has constructed. Here are a few of them ahead of the 7 p.m. Wednesday season opener in the Smoothie King Center against Indiana.

Will the defense improve?

Not a day of preseason went by without the word “defense” being mentioned. It’s one of the main reasons Dumars hired Mosley. The team’s improvement on that end of the floor was evident, especially in the final two preseason games. The Pelicans finished second in the preseason in creating turnovers. Now they need that to translate into the regular season. The Pelicans were 25th in defensive rating last season. Any chance the Pelicans have of improving will depend on whether they can truly make this their identity. Defense will keep them in games on nights when the offense isn’t clicking.

Are Pels big enough?

In April, Dumars mentioned the team needed to improve its physicality in the paint. Despite those words, the Pelicans didn’t make any moves in that area. All indications are that Yves Missi will be asked to be their main inside presence. The Pelicans ranked seventh in the preseason in rebounds and eighth in blocked shots. Derik Queen was the team’s best rebounder in the preseason, grabbing 8.8 boards per game. If the Pelicans get bullied in the paint, finding a center may become a priority before the trade deadline or in the offseason.

How will Zion, Queen coexist?

As Queen surged as a rookie, some began to question whether he could coexist on the floor at the same time as Zion Williamson.

Both Queen and Williamson are tweeners who have lapses defensively, can be ball dominant on offense and frequently drive to the basket as opposed to spacing the floor.

If Queen continues to build on last season’s momentum while Williamson is supposed to be the face of the franchise, is there room for both bigs to shine in the Big Easy?

How many minutes for Poole?

Jordan Poole was the biggest mystery for the Pelicans last season. Former coach Willie Green decided to bring him off the bench in the fourth game of the 2025-26 season against the Denver Nuggets, and Poole stared him down on the sideline after hitting a three-pointer in the loss.

He started only five more games the remainder of the season. He had 24 games in which he didn't play despite being active.

Poole looks like he may get another chance this season, as Mosley played him an average of 21 minutes per game in the preseason. He averaged 14.3 points per preseason contest.

Is there enough shooting?

The Pelicans finished in the bottom 10 of the league for 3-point attempts, 3-point percentage and 3-point makes per game last season. The preseason numbers weren’t great, either. The Pelicans shot 33.1% in the four preseason games, which ranked 24th in the league.

They signed Bennedict Mathurin in the offseason, the only major move they made. Mathurin is known as a shooter, but his 31.5% from beyond the arc last season would’ have been good enough for only sixth-best on New Orleans last year for players who attempted at least four threes a game.