Locked On Pelicans - Daily Podcast On The New Orleans Pelicans · Locked On Podcast Network, Jake Madison

Pelicans vs Trail Blazers Pregame: Can New Orleans Stay Disciplined and Handle Business Tonight?

April 2, 2026·24 min·2 clips

With six games left, will the Pelicans prioritize winning, developing young players, or making Zion Williamson the focal point again?

Host Jake Madison opens by framing the Pelicans' final six games as a strategic fork: does the team prioritize building winning habits and lineup combinations for next year, or focus on developing rookies Jeremiah Fears and Derek Queen? He notes that Fears and DeJounte Murray have played very few possessions together, and that a pressure-free end-of-season environment offers a chance to test that backcourt pairing. He also raises the question of Zion Williamson and Derek Queen coexisting as a frontcourt, noting their on-court numbers together have been poor but now is the time to experiment. Madison says two things are non-negotiable regardless of lineup: attacking the paint (Portland is bottom half in rim protection) and minimizing live-ball turnovers (Portland is a strong turnover-forcing team that generates easy fast breaks). He notes Portland is fighting for playoff seeding — chasing the 7th or 8th seed in the play-in tournament — and has gone 7-3 in their last 10 games. Anfernee Simons, Madison notes, is Portland's main offensive weapon, ranking third in free throw attempts per game and 16th in scoring league-wide. He argues that Herb Jones and Sadiq Bey could disrupt Simons enough to limit Portland's offense, particularly given that their second and third leading scorers (Shaedon Sharpe and Jerami Grant) are both out for this game. Madison then presents the key statistical mismatch: Portland takes 42 threes per game (fourth in the NBA) while New Orleans takes just 32.4 (26th). He argues the potential 30-point swing from 10 extra three-point attempts could be decisive even if Portland shoots below average. He notes Portland ranks last (30th) in three-point percentage despite the volume, so the Pelicans must not let them get hot early. The Pelicans' counter is to attack the paint at a high rate, as rim shots are more efficient than threes and Portland is poor at protecting the rim. The episode then covers Zion's contract milestone: his 61st game of the season fully guarantees his $42 million salary for next year. Madison explains the tiered guarantee structure and concludes that because any trade requires absorbing the full $42 million in return, trading Zion has become harder. He credits Zion for buying into a reduced offensive role and staying healthy across 60-plus games, calling it a positive sign for the organization. Injury report: Shaedon Sharpe, Jerami Grant, and Damian Lillard are out for Portland. Trey Murphy III is questionable for the Pelicans with a right ankle sprain, and Carlo Makhichev is questionable with lower back spasms. Key matchup: Toumani Camara leads the league in offensive fouls drawn and will likely guard Zion, making early foul trouble for either player a potential game-changer. Donovan Klingan leads the league in offensive rebounds per game, threatening the Pelicans' 28th-ranked defensive rebounding with fatigue-accumulating second-chance possessions. Madison also details the chess match of getting Sadiq Bey a favorable switch against smaller Portland defenders, and how Portland may counter by deploying Drew Holiday — a former Pelican — to neutralize Bey's post advantages.

As heard by us

A direct pregame that connects the matchup to New Orleans' final six games.

Locked On Pelicans uses this special edition to lay out the Pelicans-Trail Blazers matchup, with the injury report and the main statistical angles doing most of the early work.

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