The New Orleans Pelicans are off to an 0–3 record to start the 2026-27 NBA regular season. The Pelicans dropped their first three games against the Indiana Pacers, Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets, each by a margin of six points or less.
Once again, the NBA kicks off another regular season, and once again, the Pelicans are off to a rocky start. After making virtually no moves in the offseason, the Pelicans’ front office decided to run the season back with the same roster. There should be nothing inherently wrong with a team deciding not to make changes to a squad they’re confident in. However, this is far from the case down in New Orleans.
A season ago, the Pelicans were actively competing for last place in the Western Conference. They posted a 26–56 record overall, going 1–9 in the last 10 games of the regular season. This was a far-cry from where many Pelicans fans had the team finishing before the season started.
The 2025 offseason saw multiple moves from the Pelicans’ front office that, at the time, looked to make for a competitive team. Then newly appointed General Manager Joe Dumars made trades for guards Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey, followed by acquiring center Kevon Looney. Additionally, he drafted Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears and Maryland center Derik Queen.
With the newly acquired pieces, Pelicans fans were hopeful for a possible run at the Play-In tournament. Those expectations would instantly be shot down when the 2025-26 season started with an 0–6 record for New Orleans. This would ultimately shape how the rest of the season went for the Pelicans with their longest losing streak lasting for nine games, which happened twice that season.
Despite the team’s shortcomings, the two rookies each had solid seasons that showed promise for the future. Queen averaged 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while getting one block per game. Fears averaged 14 points, three rebounds and three assists, while also averaging a steal per game. Both players were thrusted into key roles in their rookie campaigns as each started more than half the games played that season.
Forwards Trey Murphy III and Zion Williamson led the team in scoring for the 2025-26 season, each averaging 21 points per game. Following them was Bey, who averaged 17 points, five rebounds and two assists in his first season with the Pelicans. As for Poole, the veteran guard sat at the end of the bench several times due to an inefficient 37% shooting and poor defense.
The 2026 offseason saw several teams make big signings and trades to improve their roster. While reports were coming out from all directions about every other franchise making moves, the Pelicans stayed quiet. Their only notable moves in the offseason were re-signing veteran center DeAndre Jordan and signing free agent guard Bennedict Mathurin.
The Pelicans hired Jamahl Mosley as their new head coach, hoping that a change in playcalling, mixed with internal growth, is all they need to turn things around.
The Pelicans opened the 2026-27 season at home against the Pacers, which ended in a 123–120 loss. New Orleans had a lead as large as 10 points in the game, but ultimately got outscored in the fourth quarter as the Pacers took the game.
The Pelicans led the Pacers in rebounds, steals and blocks. However, the team shot only 43% from the field compared to Indiana’s 52%, while also losing the turnover battle with 15 turnovers.
New Orleans dropped their next game to the Jazz, who had control of the lead for almost 80% of the entire game. The Pelicans had the lead for much of the fourth quarter, but a costly foul and go-ahead free throws from the Jazz dropped the team to 0–2. The Pelicans shot a poor 31% from beyond the arch and lost the rebound battle against Utah. Williamson led the Pelicans in scoring with 23 points in the team’s 120–119 loss.
The Pelicans would proceed to drop their third straight game after an overtime defeat against the Nuggets with a score of 141–135.
This would be the Pelicans’ game to lose, as they led by as much as 23 points and had a 19-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Nuggets would rally from behind to tie the game with 17 seconds left in regulation to force an overtime.
The Pelicans would only score nine points in overtime, dropping to 0–3 on the year.
The Pelicans are right back where they were a year ago, with a schedule that won’t be getting easier. Their next game will be a rematch at home against the Nuggets on Oct. 28.