Recently, the New Orleans Pelicans announced that they had hired NBA Hall of Famer Joe Dumars to be their Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations. The news came shortly after the team fired executive David Griffin, who watched the roster he assembled fall apart due to injuries this past season.

In the first part of his opening statement, Dumars spoke on his Louisiana heritage as a big part of his enthusiasm for the job.

“As a Louisiana native, this is truly a full circle moment. I grew up as a Saints fan and the first AAU basketball team I played on at 16 years old was based in New Orleans, so this opportunity is very special to me on a personal level,” said Dumars, per Pelicans.com.

However, later on in his statement, he alluded to the current state of the Pelicans' roster, with what may or may not have been a subtle jab at star power forward Zion Williamson.

“There is a lot of talent on this roster. My vision is to build a disciplined team that is built on toughness, smart decision-making and a no-excuses mindset. I am proud to have grown up in Louisiana and know how passionate, resilient and tough we are as a community,” said Dumars.

Williamson has come under fire in recent years for a perceived lack of discipline when it comes to taking care of his body, which has seemingly to him missing a plethora of games throughout his young career.

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Where do the Pelicans go from here?

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Joe Dumars inherits a roster that was absolutely decimated by injuries in 2024-25. In addition to Williamson and Brandon Ingram (who was later traded) both missing time, the Pelicans also saw trade acquisition Dejounte Murray suffer a ruptured Achilles, while Trey Murphy and Jose Alverado (and others) also missed large stretches of the season.

At this point, it's unclear whether the Pelicans will continue running it back in the hopes that Williamson can stay healthy or whether they will look to move on from the number one overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

One thing that's clear is that Dumars will have some big decisions to make over the coming months.