MELBOURNE — The New Orleans Pelicans saw significant changes this summer, with a new-look roster taking shape ahead of the new season.
In the front office, Joe Dumars replaced David Griffin as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, while they added Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney, and Saddiq Bey, along with draft picks Derik Queen, Jeremiah Fears, and Micah Peavy.
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The biggest piece of their puzzle, however, is the return of Zion Williamson, who played just 30 games last season due to injuries, and with the two-time All-Star sporting a new-look frame and a clean bill of health, the Pelicans have plenty of reasons to be optimistic after a 21-win campaign in 2024-25.
Poole, who arrived in a trade for CJ McCollum, will have the ball in his hands as the team’s lead guard to start the season and ahead of their pre-season games in Melbourne, the 26-year-old spoke of the instant connection he and Williamson already have on the floor.
“I feel like our chemistry is pretty natural,” Poole told reporters. “We both have our own gravity. I feel like we complement each other really well.
“He’s got a lot of gravity in the paint; he can drive, get to the basket. I like to play on the perimeter, bring out the spacing. We’ve been having a lot of conversations, getting our chemistry right.
“It feels pretty natural, but it’s bringing a lot of energy, bringing a lot of explosiveness on the offensive side. A winning mentality, of course, having the experience. We’ve got a really good group of guys. I think we’re just putting it all together right now.”
Zion says hello at the open practice in Australia 👀 pic.twitter.com/hnJivyUH8y
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) October 2, 2025
Williamson echoed those sentiments back at Poole, with the pair’s high-octane offensive games set to cause plenty of chaos for opposing defenses.
“As far as my chemistry with Jordan Poole … he’s a competitor and I think we’re going to have a lot of fun on the court. It’s going to be exciting to watch,” Williamson said.
Poole, Looney bringing championship experience to NOLA
While the Pelicans are bringing a youthful energy on the court this season, the additions of Jordan Poole and Kevon Looney in the summer add valuable “experience” and “leadership,” in Poole’s words, as the only two players on the roster with championship credentials.
Poole and Looney were teammates with the Golden State Warriors during their 2022 title run, with Looney boasting three chips on his resume.
For Poole, who is coming from the rebuilding Wizards, sees the Pelicans roster as one that has players with enough reps in the league to hit the ground running this season.
“The last two years, I was on a team that was really young, a lot of 18, 19-year-olds. We have a lot of guys that are mid-20s, year five, year six, they’ve been in the league a little bit, they’ve got some experience,” Poole said.
“I think we put it all together with guys who made a run and the guys who also made their own way in the league. Once you mesh those together, I feel like we’ll have a pretty good recipe for success.”
Williamson, who is looking to make a big impact on the floor this season as the team’s offensive hub, believes the former Warriors duo’s experience will be invaluable in New Orleans.
“It helps a lot, I mean those dudes won a championship, that’s what we all strive for,” Williamson said at Media Day.
“They not only won the championship, they went through the journey, went to the playoffs, they felt the energy, they lived it, so that type of experience you just can’t get anywhere.”
“Those dudes won a championship, that’s what we all strive for.”
Zion Williamson on the championship pedigree of his new teammates Kevon Looney and Jordan Poole 🏆 pic.twitter.com/akLgKn5KYL
— NBA (@NBA) September 24, 2025
The Pelicans get their pre-season underway on Friday, October 3, against NBL team Melbourne United at Rod Laver Arena.
