NewOrleans.Basketball - A New Orleans Pelicans Podcast

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Welcome back to NewOrleans.Basketball, your home for detailed New Orleans Pelicans analysis, roster breakdowns, and NBA talk.

Hosted by Raphael Rattler and Garrick “G-Money” Rattler, we break down everything from the Pelicans end-of-season press conference, to Zion Williamson’s accountability, Joe Dumars’ vision, and what’s next for the franchise heading into the offseason.

📲 Follow us on Twitter, IG & TikTok: @nobasktball (no E)
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#Pelicans #ZionWilliamson #NewOrleansPelicans #NBAPodcast #JoeDumars #JamesBorrego #DerikQueen #JeremiahFears #TreyMurphy #NBAPlayoffs #PelicansBasketball

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Welcome back to NewOrleans.Basketball, your go-to source for real New Orleans Pelicans analysis, roster breakdowns, and NBA discussion.

Hosted by Raphael Rattler and Garrick “G-Money” Rattler, we break down what’s happening with the Pelicans as the season winds down.

📲 Follow us on Twitter, IG & TikTok: @nobasktball (no E)
👍 Like the episode & 🔔 Subscribe for more Pelicans content

#Pelicans #ZionWilliamson #NewOrleansPelicans #NBAPodcast #DerikQueen #JeremiahFears #TreyMurphy #JamesBorrego #PelicansBasketball #NBAAnalysis

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Welcome back to New Orleans.Basketball, your home for detailed New Orleans Pelicans analysis, roster breakdowns, and NBA discussion.

Hosted by Raphael Rattler alongside Garrick “G-Money” Rattler, we break down everything happening with the Pelicans as the season winds down.

📲 Follow us on Twitter, Instagram & TikTok: @nobasktball (no “E”)
👍 Like the episode and subscribe for more Pelicans content.

Key Topics in This Episode

1️⃣ What to Watch in the Final 16 Games

With 8 home games and 8 road games, plus three back-to-backs, we’re watching:

• Can Dejounte Murray unlock the Pelicans’ fast break offense?
• Will the defense show more accountability vs playoff teams?
• What does the rotation look like moving forward?
• Are DeAndre Jordan’s minutes more valuable than Karlo Matkovic’s development?

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2️⃣ What We’ve Learned About Borrego’s Lineups

James Borrego has hinted that tough rotation decisions are coming now that the roster is healthier.

Current lineup trends:

• Yves Missi should start at center
• Herb Jones may become a matchup-based starter
• Saddiq Bey’s impact keeps growing
• The rookies may be best used off the bench
• Karlo Matkovic remains the only shooting big on the roster

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3️⃣ The Pelicans’ Hierarchy Problem

Borrego recently mentioned that the team hasn’t fully defined its on-court hierarchy.

Our thoughts:

• Zion Williamson must be the focal point of the offense
• Zion’s motor and consistency must improve
• Dejounte Murray should elevate everyone around him
• Trey Murphy has All-Star upside as a play finisher
• The rookies are developing but not ready to lead yet

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4️⃣ Offseason Changes We’d Consider

Beyond internal development, we discuss potential offseason changes:

• Uniform redesign ideas (Tulane, LSU & Saints comparisons)
• Whether James Borrego deserves the permanent head coaching job
• Why Jordan Poole’s $32M contract might not fit the future

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Pelicans Fans — What Do You Think?

Should the Pelicans keep building around Zion, or is a bigger roster shake-up coming?

Drop your thoughts in the comments.

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📺 Subscribe for more Pelicans coverage all season long.

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Hashtags

#Pelicans #NewOrleansPelicans #ZionWilliamson #NBADraft #DejounteMurray #TreyMurphy #JamesBorrego #NBA #PelicansBasketball #NBAPodcast

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Welcome to another episode of New Orleans.Basketball 🏀
Hosted by Raphael Rattler and Garrick “G-Money” Rattler.

The New Orleans Pelicans (15–41) are 14th in the West, 12 games out of the Play-In — and realistically, the postseason isn’t happening.

With 26 games left, what should Pelicans fans actually be watching for?

#Pelicans #NewOrleansPelicans #ZionWilliamson #DejounteMurray #NBA #NBATradeDeadline #PelicansPodcast #JeremiahFears #DerikQueen

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The New Orleans Pelicans (12–36) pull out a gritty 104–95 win over the Spurs in San Antonio, and several important trends are starting to take shape as the NBA trade deadline approaches.

From rotation changes to Zion’s growing control of games — and real questions about Jordan Poole’s future — we break it all down.

📲 Follow us on Twitter, Instagram & TikTok: @nobasktball (no “E”)
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#Pelicans #NewOrleansPelicans #ZionWilliamson #JordanPoole #SaddiqBey #JaMorant #NBA #PelicansTalk #NBATradeDeadline #PelicansSpurs

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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays 🎄
The New Orleans Pelicans (8–23) are quietly 5–1 over their last 6 games, playing their best basketball of the season — and an identity is starting to form.

With Zion Williamson gaining rhythm, elite paint scoring, and defensive activity trending up, we break down what’s real, what’s fragile, and what has to improve as the Pelicans close out 2025.

📲 Follow us on Twitter, Instagram & TikTok: @nobasktball (no “E”)
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#Pelicans #NewOrleansPelicans #ZionWilliamson #NBA #PelicansTalk #PelicansSuns #NBAPodcast #PelicansBasketball #SmoothieKingCenter

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The New Orleans Pelicans (6–22) pulled off the largest comeback in franchise history, erasing a 25-point deficit to beat the Houston Rockets 133–128 at the Smoothie King Center — and it came with a MAJOR coaching decision.


Twitter | Instagram | TikTok
👉 @nobasktball (no “E”)

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💬 Drop your thoughts: Was Borrego right to bench Zion?

#Pelicans #NewOrleansPelicans #ZionWilliamson #NBA #PelicansRockets #LargestComeback #JamesBorrego #TreyMurphy #HerbJones #SaddiqBey #PelicansPodcast #NBAPodcast #SmoothieKingCenter

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Zion Williamson returned two weeks early, came off the bench for the first time in his career, and immediately looked like the best player on the floor. With improved health, better chemistry, and James Borrego settling into the head coaching role, the Pelicans are quietly playing their best basketball of the season.

In this episode of NewOrleans.Basketball, we break down what’s real, what’s sustainable, and what to watch next 👇


🟣 Zion Williamson Returns Early — What Did We Learn?
🟣 Why the Pelicans Are Playing Better Basketball
🟣 Roles Are Becoming Clear
🟣 James Borrego’s Impact
🟣 Rotation Questions Going Forward
🟣 What to Watch vs the Rockets

🎙️ Hosted by Raphael Rattler
📲 Follow us on Twitter, Instagram & TikTok: @nobasktball (no “E”)
👍 Like the episode | 🔔 Subscribe for Pelicans coverage all season long



#Pelicans #ZionWilliamson #NewOrleansPelicans #DerikQueen #JeremiahFears #JamesBorrego #NBABasketball #PelicansNation #NBAAnalysis #ZionReturn

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With Zion likely out all of December, the Pelicans are getting a preview of the future. On this episode we breakdown if Zion Williamson & Derik Queen can co-exist, the problem with the Pelicans defense, Fears & Queen chances at ROTY, and what to look forward to in the game vs the Portland Trailblazers. 

#Pelicans #ZionWilliamson #DerikQueen #JeremiahFears #NewOrleansPelicans #NBABasketball #SaddiqBey #TreyMurphy #JamesBorrego #JordanPoole #NOLA #PelicansNation

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The New Orleans Pelicans are drowning in injuries again, and fans everywhere are asking the same question:

Is something fundamentally broken inside the Pelicans’ medical & performance process, or is this just extreme caution?

Year after year, same story. Something is off.

Rundown:
🔥 Pelicans Injury Crisis — What Is Going On?
🟣 2. What Has Borrego Shown (Despite a 1–8 Start)?
🟣 3. Roster Trends Through 21 Games
🟣 4. Pelicans vs Timberwolves — What to Watch For


#Pelicans #ZionWilliamson #NewOrleansPelicans #NBABasketball #JamesBorrego #TreyMurphy #HerbJones #DerikQueen #SaddiqBey #PelicansInjuries #NBANews #NOBBasketball