As the first two weeks in the 2025-26 NBA are over, the standings have begun to form. Oklahoma reigned as the champion. City Thunder is atop of the Western Conference with a 7-0 record. The Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Pelicans are all tied for the first place in Eastern Conference, with identical marks of 5-1. This was not expected. Both teams are 0-6. They have a way to go until they reach historic status — the 2010 Nets, and the 2016 76ers both share the record of the worst start ever with 0-18. But their seasons are already effectively over. Only eight teams that started 0-6 have made the playoffs. However, the Pelicans’ situation is more dire than the Nets’, considering their respective goals. Take a look at the teams’ current situation and future prospects. What has gone wrong?PelicansThirty-seven-year-old DeAndre Jordan, who began the season without a team, started the Pelicans’ fourth game just five days after being signed, which should tell you all you need to know. Pelicans: A series of questionable decisions in the offseason – more on that in a moment – made this season a win now one for the Pelicans, even though they never had the talent to achieve that goal.
Kevonlooney, the key free-agent addition, missed five games because of a knee injury. Jordan Poole and Saddiq bey, who were acquired as part of a major offseason trade for CJ McColllum, both shoot under 38%. Trey Murphy, who was a standout last year, has had a disappointing season. He is 5 of 17 (29.4%), on non restricted area paint attempts. Zion Williamson, meanwhile, has been just okay. Derik Queen’s playing time has decreased in the last four games. The rookie big man, who they spent so much on during draft night to acquire, is a good example. Against the Thunder he only played six minutes, 51 seconds. The Pelicans are ranked 27th overall in offensive rating (106.6), 29th in defense rating (124.2), and 30th in the net rating (minus-17.4). For comparison’s sake, the 2012 Charlotte Bobcats who finished 7-59 during the lockout-shortened year had a net rating of minus-15. The Pelicans only lost three out of six games decided by 30 points or more. NetsNetsIn some respects, nothing. The Nets do not want to win the season. In the 2025 NBA Draft, they made history by keeping all five first-round selections. They were the first team to ever make five first-round selections. This is an extremely young team — their oldest player is 29-year-old Terance Mann — and the inexperience will make it more difficult for Jordi Fernández to squeeze extra wins out of this group like he did last season, when they unexpectedly finished 26-56.
The more Nets lose the greater their chances of getting the top pick in the 2026 Draft. The more the Nets lose, the better their chances of getting No.1 in 2026’s loaded Draft. The nature of the Nets’ performances, however, are already wearing on Fernández, and the vibes in Brooklyn are not good. Fernández made his starters play garbage time minutes on Sunday during their 24-point loss to the 76ers, then called out himself and his team during his postgame press conference. “We go back to the same with poor defensive effort,” Fernández said. “I am failing to try to get my players to play hard. I’m asking them questions. How can I make them play harder? Then you have to live with the results. I can’t live with this result, because there is no effort and there is no defense.The Nets rank 23rd overall in offensive rating (112.9), 29th in defensive rating (128,6), and 29th in net ratings (minus-15.7). This is a crazy stat: despite only playing 18 minutes per night, rookie guard Ben Saraf leads the team with 3.2 assists per game. He is 99th out of all players for assists per match.
PelicansTo give the Pelicans a little slack, their schedule has been brutal to start the season. Boston Celtics were the team that they faced the most, and just completed a five day West Coast trip where they played the Los Angeles Clippers (their worst), Denver Nuggets, and Thunder. After returning home to play the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday — a winnable match — their next four opponents are the Dallas Mavericks (again, if they’re lucky), San Antonio Spurs (again, if they’re lucky), Phoenix Suns (again, assuming that the game is wonnable), and Portland Trail Blazers. The next few weeks will be easier and they’ll soon be on the mend. New Orleans is far better than Brooklyn at this point, so you should bet that the Pelicans will win.
NetsThe Nets are in a good position to answer this question because their next match is on Monday, which is a day before New Orleans takes the court. Can the Nets beat the Anthony Edwards-less Minnesota Timberwolves? The Nets will play the Indiana Pacers after the Wolves. They’ll also face the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks. The Nets have a few winnable games, but their defense has been so bad that it wouldn’t be surprising if they extend their losing streak into double figures.
Willie Green has to go. He’s faced many obstacles in his time as the Pelicans’ coach, but they haven’t been able to win a playoff game since he joined the team in 2021. And there is a brand new front office. Marc Stein, Jake Fischer and others reported in the summer that Mike Brown wanted to hire James Borrego as his lead assistant from the Pelicans, but the Pelicans blocked the move. Borrego’s presence was wanted by the Pelicans in case a mid-season switch was needed. Green’s ability to endure too many more defeats is questionable. NetsNo, Jordi Fernández’s seat is not even warm. The front office, which saddled him with the roster, has no illusions about success. He was widely praised both internally and outside for his work in his first year. Yes, the mood in Brooklyn is bad, but that says more about the roster than Fernández’s coaching ability. This group will look much different next season – possibly as early as the deadline. What matters most right now is the development of the team’s newcomers.
What about their long-term futures?PelicansLong-running concerns about the direction of the franchise were elevated when Joe Dumars was hired as the executive vice president of basketball operations in April. Dumars immediately made several trades which could have a drastic impact on the franchise’s long-term future. The 23rd pick was made in the 2025 draft, just days before Tyrese Haliborton tore his Achilles. The Atlanta Hawks received No. The Hawks received the pick No. The Pelicans selected Derik Queen with the No. 13 pick. At the time, there were rumors that the Hawks didn’t believe it was real and wanted to confirm with Dumars the terms before sending the offer to the league office. There’s a good chance that Dumars could have dealt away two of his top five picks for the 2026 Draft, a class that has already been praised for its wealth of talent.
New Orleans is a city with talent. Williamson, at his peak, is a top-15 to top-20 level player. But he’s not been able stay on the court consistently. Murphy and Herb Jones, both high-level players in the role of a coach or assistant coach, are also among the young players. Yves Missi is ranked No. All of the players, including Jeremiah Fears, No. 7 pick Jeremiah and Queen have great potential. But that isn’t enough to be competitive in the West. And they aren’t a place for free agents. Dumars’ best way to find talent has always been through the draft, and they sent their top draft assets away. NetsFor a young team that selected five players in the top round of the draft a few months back, there are many questions regarding the Nets. Keeping all five first-round picks was one thing, but using four of them on playmakers who need the ball — Egor Dëmin (No. Nolan Traore (19), Ben Saraf (8), Egor Demin (No. 19), Ben Saraf (No. Danny Wolf No. It was widely questioned. They added Drake Powell to the team, a 3-and-2 wing who was selected with No. 22 pick.What is the potential of any of those newcomers? Are the Nets going to be able evaluate each of these rookies properly during this season? The Nets are going to try and figure that out in the next six month. Sean Marks, the general manager, said during media day that “Success looks like ‘How do you find, who is the next Nets’?”
Good news for Nets fans: they will have many more opportunities to draft players in the future. They are on track to get a first-round pick in 2026. While they don’t yet own the Rockets’ 2027 draft choice (they have swap rights), the Nets do own the Knicks 2027 selection and two 2028 firsts, theirs and that of the Sixers (which is a protected top-eight pick). The Nets have only $36 million guaranteed in their books beyond 2027, and they will have plenty to work with in the future. Overall, the Nets have a good future, even if it’s still unclear who will be the leader of the team in several years.
2025-11-03 17:58:26
