Entering the 2022-23 NBA campaign, plenty of folks had postseason expectations for the New Orleans Pelicans. After all, the Pelicans were fresh off their first playoff appearance since the 2017-18 season and took the Phoenix Suns — who owned the best record in the Western Conference during the 2021-22 regular season — to six games as the eighth seed in the Western Conference. But fast forward to the current day, and it's clear that New Orleans fell very short of these playoff expectations.

The New Orleans Pelicans were, more or less, the textbook definition of mediocrity. As though they did improve their regular-season record from the year before  — they ended up with 42 wins compared to just 36 in 2021-22 — New Orleans still finished with just the ninth-best record in the West. And they didn't even make the playoffs, as the Oklahoma City Thunder eliminated them from postseason play in the play-in tournament.

The New Orleans Pelicans 2022-23 campaign was undeniably disappointing, but a productive offseason period could have helped fans forget about the season that was. Unfortunately, though, the Pelicans have arguably lost more than they've gained thus far this offseason.

Both big man Jaxson Hayes and guard Josh Richardson have found new homes with other NBA franchises via free agency. And the New Orleans Pelicans' only offseason additions to this point have been veteran big man Cody Zeller and 2023 first-round pick Jordan Hawkins, whom the Pelicans selected with the 14th overall pick.

It's a bit puzzling that the New Orleans Pelicans haven't made any more notable additions via trades or free agency this offseason, considering they are light on skilled defensive players at one very important position. With all of that said, let's look at the New Orleans Pelicans' biggest roster concern deep into 2023 NBA free agency:

Pelicans' biggest roster concern deep into 2023 NBA free agency

Lack of solid defenders at the center spot

The New Orleans Pelicans have great defenders at most positions. At the guard spot, they have elite perimeter defenders in Jose Alvarado and Dyson Daniels. At the wing position, they have Herb Jones, also an elite defensive player. And at the power forward spot, they have Larry Nance Jr., but the Pelicans are light on solid defenders at the center position. The Pelicans have just two classified centers on their roster at this point — Jonas Valanciunas and Willy Hernangomez. Valanciunas is a very good starting caliber center, and Hernangomez is a rock-solid backup. But both of these players are best known for their scoring and rebounding chips. They are very limited defensive players and below-average defenders at their position.

Valanciunas, in particular, is notorious for being a sub-par defensive player. Because of his limited mobility, he has been one of the worst pick-and-roll defenders in the NBA for years now, dating back to his time as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies.

At this juncture, only time will tell if the New Orleans Pelicans will stand pat with their current roster or decide to add more players to the team via trade or free agency. But what's already abundantly clear is that the Pelicans should try to add a defensive-minded center to their roster before the beginning of the 2023-24 NBA regular season. Having a center rotation of two bigs who can't consistently defend at a high level is not a recipe for success.