With playmaking guard Dejounte Murray sidelined for most of the season recovering from an Achilles injury and role players cycling in and out of the lineup, it has been nearly impossible to establish a clear offensive chain of command. Fortunately, the now fully healthy New Orleans Pelicans are making progress playing without the pressure of finishing the season. Zion Williamson, Saddiq Bey and Trey Murphy III are taking turns seeing what works while James Borrego largely stays out of the way.
This may not sound like very good coaching at first, but drawing on his years of experience as an assistant with Gregg Popovich's San Antonio Spurs, Borrego knows exactly what a functional hierarchy looks like. The 23-year NBA coaching veteran with two championship rings also knows it doesn't happen overnight. Williamson, Bey and Murphy III need reps with Murray to sort everything out themselves.
"I think the best teams in the league, the teams that are chasing titles, winning titles, advancing in the playoffs, they have a clear pecking order in general," Borrego insisted. "The teams I've been a part of, it was obviously Duncan, Ginobili and Parker. Now, that order may vary at some point throughout the season or in different games. Through different seasons or different playoff series, it may vary there."
Those Spurs teams became the gold standard for consistency and offensive clarity. Duncan often served as the foundational piece inside, while Ginobili and Parker served as dynamic perimeter creators who could take over extensions when the matchup demanded it.
However, unlike those famous Spurs, these Pelicans are still in development years after drafting Williamson and Murphy III.
"Our group, we're not quite there yet," Borrego confessed. "We're trying to figure it out. I think the luxury right now is that we don't really know, and our competitors don't know."
That uncertainty can be a double-edged sword. While that lack of clarity can sometimes lead to confusing turnover, Borrego is choosing to see it as a competitive advantage. This work-in-progress roster is learning the ropes with a fluid system that lets the hot hand direct the offense rather than a rigid star system.
It's working wonders for Murphy III, Bey and Williamson, judging solely on individual hooping stats. Murray has settled into the starting lineup like an All-Star. The next step is to make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. He's on Borrego.
Borrego stressed, "We're going to find the right matchups; it's my job to help them get that advantage. But people are recognizing it, they're counting on it." "You know, assuming it's not my time, so let's play through Saddiq here. Let's play through Murph here. Let's play through Zion here. Because I think great players, when they find a rhythm, they want to stay in that rhythm. And it's the same thing as a team. When you get some rhythm, you want to stay in that rhythm. I think we'll get there at some point. I think That luxury right now is that we can play through multiple guys."
It's a bit silly to talk about the unknown as a luxury this season. Yet, despite a 21-45 record that has left them well out of the playoff picture, the Pelicans have shown signs of life, going 6-4 after the All-Star break. However, fans should take that news with a grain of salt. Borrego has defeated one of the top six in 2026 and just three since taking office. So, whether that luxury becomes a long-term asset or another sign of a team that is still searching for an identity will depend on how quickly these Pelicans find their version of Duncan, Ginobili and Parker.
