The New Orleans Pelicans made some moves behind the scenes heading into the 2026-’27 season, but they made a statement keeping the majority of the roster intact as they embark on a new head coaching era with Jamahl Mosley at the helm.

Pelicans reporter Oleh Kosel is keeping his expectations in check, but he does see a return to the play-in bracket in the cards.

“I think [the expectation is] making the play-in tournament, right, so you’re going to finish anywhere between 7-10. The reason I say that is because 1, you don’t expect this team to just win 26 games. I think at a minimum they’re going to win say 35 or so. That puts you right there for that talk of making that play-in tournament,” Kosel told WWL Radio’s Tommy Tucker. “Next thing is there’s teams below them that you can pretty much pencil in. … I expect for them, Memphis, Utah, to really jump up compared to what they did last year.”

Hear the full interview with Oleh Kosel in the player above.

There are a few factors working in the Pelicans’ favor, one being health. Last year the Pelicans had a host of key players navigating injuries in the preseason, including point guard Dejounte Murray, who was recovering from a torn Achilles. Rookie Derik Queen and star forward Trey Murphy also had their preseasons limited significantly due to injuries. As the team embarks on its preseason slate, beginning next week, they’ll have a full complement of players.

But for Kosel, it’s the culture that’s already being established by Mosley that has things feeling different. He came in preaching defense first and he’s invested in his players in a way that has been notable, and was a frequent talking point during media day earlier this week.

“He’s already built their confidence, their trust in him and I think that’s going to pave the way, now, for them to listen to him,” Kosel continues. “Honestly that’s all it takes. If a player likes a coach nowadays, they’ll listen to him, they’ll be more apt to carry out his wishes on the court. That wasn’t, obviously, there for Willie Green the last year, year and a half, but I think it’ll be there for Mosley, because it was in Orlando. It wasn’t as talented of a team he has now, but he took that team to three straight playoffs and had a top ten defense three straight years.”

The Pelicans begin their four game preseason slate on Oct. 6 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and they’ll kick off the regular season on Oct. 21 against the Pacers at the Smoothie King Center.

MORE FROM KOSEL

Who could be a surprise player for this group?

“Am I allowed to say Yves Missi, because I really think he’s going to explode, really firm up a starting role. You’re going to be counting on him for about 10 rebounds a game, 2.5 blocks a game. If he could do that, that’d be a game-changer for a team that’s desperate at center.”

Are the Pelicans gaining ground in the Western Conference?

“Most would say they’re losing ground just based on the last two years. I think they’re in good position. They’ve got players on good contracts. They’ve got two excellent … rookies from last year in Fears and Queen, so they’re paving for the future, good guys to build the team around.”

Expectations for Zion Williamson

“I think he can be an all star performer again. I think, let’s say about 23 points per game, 7 rebounds a game, but what you’re going to see from him is kind of that … consistent defensive effort. That’s something we never said before and that’s something he did say … back in that 46-win season he was winning games down the stretch in the clutch because he was coming up with the big steal, big block, things like that. I think that’s something like that. I think we’re going to see him in that fashion a lot more often this year.”