The final buzzer of 2025 sounded for the New Orleans Pelicans with a familiar result. A loss to the Chicago Bulls dropped interim coach James Borrego's bunch to a daunting 8-27 entering 2026. However, the easy narrative of a last-place team, of a season slipping away, would not be accurate. Within the walls of the Smoothie King Center, there is a true belief that the Zion Williamson-led locker room has turned a corner.
Speaking after the last defeat of 2025, Borrego pointed to a fundamental shift in the team's collective psyche. The most pronounced leap is in how the Pelicans approach each game now.
“Both sides of the ball, we took jumps. We're moving the needle defensively, transition defense, taking care of the paint,” Borrego noted. “Obviously, during our stretch of wins, we were much better. Then we hit a little lull, but I think we've moved the needle defensively with more physicality. I'd say we have more of a mentality as a physical, aggressive team, a competitive team.”
That mentality shift may be the most important development for a franchise that has struggled to find consistency throughout a disastrous season. The Pelicans went 5-9 in December, showing flashes of competitiveness while still falling short more often than not. Still, Borrego's emphasis on physicality and aggression represents a clear departure from the team's earlier identity, or lack thereof.
The return of Zion Williamson on December 14 has provided a significant boost. Over his past nine games, Williamson has averaged 23.4 points, six rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting 60.7% from the field. His presence in the paint has been central to the offensive improvements Borrego described.
“Offensively, we've moved this thing significantly as far as pace, moving the ball, sharing, and playing in the full court,” explained Borrego. “We are dominating the paint, winning the paint, and keeping our turnovers down. Those are all good things. Then in the fourth quarter, we've had highs and lows. We are a work in progress closing out games, fourth quarters. We've had some success; we've had some misery, too.”
That fourth-quarter inconsistency has been perhaps the most frustrating aspect of the Pelicans. Several games that appeared winnable slipped away down the stretch, leaving New Orleans with moral victories but no actual wins. Borrego acknowledged the pain of those losses but framed them as necessary growing experiences for a team still learning how to compete under his system.
“It's the misery that helps you grow and get better,” Borrego said. “There is no magic play here to get us home. As I step back and look at end of game (scenarios), I think we've got to be better defensively too. Bottom line, and we own that, but I'm proud of the group for how they've grown throughout the month. There is clarity in who we are trying to become and who we are becoming. There is some clarity there. We've just got to keep taking steps forward every day.”
Mentioning clarity is telling. For a team that seemed directionless in the early weeks of the season, simply establishing an identity represents progress. Whether that identity can translate into enough wins to salvage the season remains to be seen. But as the calendar turns to 2026, the Pelicans at least appear to know what they're trying to be. The question now is whether they can become it consistently enough to make a difference in the NBA Play-In Tournament conversation.
