Jamahl Mosley aims to emphasize a ‘defense-first’ mentality for Pelicans

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Defense will set the tone for the Pelicans under new head coach Jamahl Mosley.

“Before I get the questions going, I’m going to let us know that we’re going to do it defensively,” Mosley said. “So if you can ask about the offense all you want, we’re going to do it defensively.”

Defense has always set the tone for Mosley’s teams. In Orlando, he led the Magic to a top-three defensive rating two of the last three seasons.

“I think it’s just getting guys to have that want and will and knowing where they’re supposed to be in certain assignments so you know what you’re holding people accountable to,” Mosley said. “And then it’s just the desire, and then teaching how to do certain things. There’s technique to it, but then there’s also that will and want and that individual competitive pride to not let your guys score on you. But then, as a team, how do we do that and take it personally when guys are trying to score on us?”

Last season, the Pelicans were ranked 23rd in defensive rating. Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars said the team has to improve in that area.

READ MORE Pelicans tap coach Jamahl Mosley to establish new identity

“You can score in this league all you want. You’ve got to get some stops at some point,” Dumars said. “And, you know, it’s something that he and I talked a lot about throughout this process. It’s not like we’re going to forget about offense. You’ve got to score in this league to win. But you also have to defend, and that was a huge selling point for me.”

Mosley said he is confident he and his staff will be able to fix the issues that plagued the Pelicans defensively over the last few seasons.

“There’s such versatility, and I don’t mean versatility offensively all the time. I think there’s versatility defensively,” Mosley said. “I mean, you have guys that can sit down and guard. You know, three of them are sitting right there right now. You have Peavey, Messi, and DQ. I think those guys right there can guard multiple positions, not afraid of it. But then there’s the will and the want to defend and what’s going to be demanded.”

Having former first-team all-defense player Herb Jones on the roster will help Mosley as he looks to build that defensive identity. Mosley was the Team USA men’s basketball select team head coach a few years ago, and Jones was on that roster.

“Herb has been just unbelievable defensively. I mean, he’s that guy that you want to say, if he’s on the ball, it’s a night off for the person that he’s guarding,” Mosley said. “And that’s what has been great about him. And he does it with such a quiet, calm demeanor and just does his job. And you can’t ask for anything more than that.”

Mosley also coached Trey Murphy and Saddiq Bey on USA select teams, giving him familiarity with the team’s core veterans.

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