NBA 2025-26 Season: Pelicans and Nets Face Early Crisis with Dismal 0-6 Starts

The initial two weeks of the 2025-26 National Basketball Association (NBA) season have concluded, with early standings beginning to solidify across both conferences. As anticipated, the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder have established dominance in the Western Conference, maintaining a perfect 7-0 record. In the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls have surprised many observers, currently sharing the top spot with identical 5-1 marks.

Conversely, two teams remain winless heading into the third week of the season: the New Orleans Pelicans from the Western Conference and the Brooklyn Nets from the Eastern Conference, both standing at 0-6. While these starts are far from the historical lows set by the 2010 Nets and 2016 76ers, who both endured 0-18 starts, the implications for their respective campaigns are already significant. Historically, only eight teams that began a season 0-6 have managed to recover and make the playoffs. This statistic poses a more critical challenge for the Pelicans, given their stated organizational goals, compared to the rebuilding Nets.

A detailed examination of each team’s early struggles and future prospects reveals distinct paths and challenges.

New Orleans Pelicans: A Win-Now Mandate Meets Early Failure

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The New Orleans Pelicans’ challenging start is perhaps best encapsulated by the fact that 37-year-old DeAndre Jordan, a player unsigned at the season’s outset, was thrust into the starting lineup for their fourth game, just five days after joining the team. This move underscores a series of questionable offseason decisions that positioned the Pelicans as a "win-now" contender, despite a perceived lack of talent to genuinely compete, particularly within the formidable Western Conference.

Key free agent acquisition Kevon Looney missed the team’s first five games due to a knee injury, significantly impacting their frontcourt depth. Meanwhile, guards Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey, acquired in a major offseason trade that saw CJ McCollum depart, have struggled immensely, both shooting below 38% from the field. Trey Murphy III, who showcased impressive flashes of offensive potential last season, has endured a frustrating start, converting only 5 of 17 (29.4%) non-restricted area paint attempts. Star forward Zion Williamson, often lauded for his talent, has delivered only "OK" performances, failing to consistently elevate the team. Rookie big man Derik Queen, for whom the Pelicans reportedly sacrificed significant draft capital on draft night, has seen his playing time progressively decrease, logging just six minutes and 51 seconds in a recent loss to the Thunder.

Team statistics further illustrate New Orleans’ profound difficulties. The Pelicans rank 27th in offensive rating (106.8), 29th in defensive rating (124.2), and a league-worst 30th in net rating (minus-17.4). For context, the 2012 Charlotte Bobcats, who finished a lockout-shortened season with a historic 7-59 record, posted a net rating of minus-15. Compounding their struggles, the Pelicans have accounted for three of the season’s six games decided by 30 points or more, all resulting in decisive losses.

Brooklyn Nets: Intentional Rebuild Plagued by On-Court Disarray

In contrast to the Pelicans, the Brooklyn Nets’ winless start aligns more closely with their long-term strategic objectives. The team made history during the 2025 NBA Draft by retaining all five of their first-round selections, a first in league history, signaling a clear commitment to a youth movement and rebuilding phase. This roster, with 29-year-old Terance Mann as its oldest player, is inherently young and inexperienced. Head coach Jordi Fernández, who garnered praise last season for guiding a team with modest expectations to a surprising 26-56 record, now faces the challenge of managing a squad where inexperience is a dominant factor.

The Nets’ current losing streak, while undesirable in terms of public perception, inadvertently serves their long-term goal of securing a high draft pick in the reportedly loaded 2026 draft class. However, the nature of these losses has visibly impacted Coach Fernández and team morale. Following a recent 24-point defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers, Fernández made the unusual decision to keep his starters on the court during garbage time. In his postgame press conference, he publicly criticized both himself and his team, stating, "We go back to the same with poor defensive effort. I’m failing at trying to get my guys to play hard. I’m trying to ask them questions. How can I do it to get them to play really hard? And then you live with the result. I’m not living with this result because the effort is not there and the defense is not there."

Statistically, the Nets are positioned similarly to the Pelicans at the bottom of the league. They rank 23rd in offensive rating (112.9), 30th in defensive rating (128.6), and 29th in net rating (minus-15.7). A noteworthy individual statistic highlights their roster’s youth and inexperience: rookie guard Ben Saraf leads the team in assists with 3.2 per game, despite playing just over 18 minutes per night, placing him 99th among all NBA players.

Prospects for a First Victory

New Orleans Pelicans: The Pelicans’ initial schedule has been notably challenging. Their easiest opponent to date has been the Boston Celtics, and they recently concluded a demanding West Coast road trip that included matchups against the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, and Oklahoma City Thunder within a five-day span. A return to their home court on Tuesday against the Charlotte Hornets presents a significant opportunity for their first win. Their subsequent four games against the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, and Portland Trail Blazers offer a comparatively softer schedule over the coming weeks, suggesting a strong likelihood of ending their losing streak soon. Despite their poor start, the Pelicans’ roster possesses a higher concentration of established talent compared to the Nets, leading most observers to anticipate their first victory sooner.

Brooklyn Nets: The Nets have also faced a demanding schedule, including losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets. However, for a team predominantly composed of young players, nearly every game presents a substantial challenge, particularly with their primary offensive contributors being Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr. The Nets’ next opportunity comes on Monday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who will be without star player Anthony Edwards. While a victory is possible, the team’s discouraging performance against the 76ers raises doubts. Following the Timberwolves, their schedule includes games against the Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, and Toronto Raptors. While some of these matchups appear winnable on paper, the Nets’ consistent defensive struggles suggest that their losing streak could extend into double digits.

Coaching Stability: Contrasting Fates

New Orleans Pelicans: Head coach Willie Green is widely considered to be on the hot seat. Despite navigating numerous obstacles during his tenure, the Pelicans have not advanced past the first round of the playoffs since his hiring in 2021. The presence of a new front office, led by Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars, further intensifies scrutiny. Reports from Marc Stein and Jake Fischer last summer indicated that the Knicks attempted to hire James Borrego, a Pelicans assistant, to be Mike Brown’s lead assistant. The Pelicans reportedly blocked this move, intending to retain Borrego as a potential in-season replacement should a change be deemed necessary. Given the team’s current trajectory, it is difficult to envision Green surviving many more defeats.

Brooklyn Nets: Conversely, head coach Jordi Fernández’s position appears secure. He received widespread acclaim, both internally and externally, for his performance in his inaugural season. The front office, which assembled the current roster with a clear developmental mandate, holds no immediate expectations for winning. While the atmosphere in Brooklyn is reportedly somber, this is largely attributed to the roster’s composition rather than Fernández’s coaching ability. The team’s current focus is on developing its young players, and significant roster changes are anticipated, potentially as early as the trade deadline.

Long-Term Trajectories: Divergent Philosophies

New Orleans Pelicans: Long-standing concerns regarding the franchise’s direction were amplified following Joe Dumars’ appointment as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations in April. Dumars almost immediately initiated a series of trades with potentially drastic long-term consequences. Most notably, he traded the Pacers’ 2026 first-round pick back to Indiana in exchange for the No. 23 pick in the 2025 Draft, a move made just days before Pacers’ star Tyrese Haliburton suffered an Achilles tendon tear. Subsequently, Dumars traded the No. 23 pick (used to select Asa Newell) and an unprotected 2026 first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks for the No. 13 pick, which the Pelicans used to draft Derik Queen. Rumors at the time suggested the Hawks were so surprised by the offer that they reportedly called back to confirm the terms with Dumars before finalizing the trade. Two weeks into the current season, the Pacers stand at 1-5, while the Pelicans are 0-6. This scenario creates a significant possibility that by June 2026, Dumars will have traded away two potential top-five picks in a draft class already heralded for its high-end talent.

Despite these front-office decisions, the Pelicans do possess talent. When healthy and performing at his best, Zion Williamson is recognized as a top-15 to top-20 player. Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones are considered high-level role players, and young prospects such as Yves Missi, No. 7 pick Jeremiah Fears, and Derik Queen exhibit potential. However, this collective talent base is widely deemed insufficient to contend in the highly competitive Western Conference, and New Orleans is not traditionally considered a prime free-agent destination. Historically, the draft has been the team’s most effective avenue for acquiring talent, a path now complicated by Dumars’ trades of their most valuable draft assets.

Brooklyn Nets: For a team that drafted five players in the first round just months prior, questions persist regarding the long-term potential of the Nets’ young talent. While retaining all five picks was a significant move, the decision to use four of them on playmakers who require the ball – Egor Dëmin (No. 8), Nolan Traore (No. 19), Ben Saraf (No. 26), and Danny Wolf (No. 27) – was met with widespread skepticism regarding roster fit and development strategy. (The team also drafted Drake Powell, a 3-and-D wing, with the No. 22 pick.) The coming six months will be crucial for the Nets as they attempt to evaluate the long-term potential of these rookies and determine "who are the next Nets," as General Manager Sean Marks articulated at media day.

The Nets’ long-term outlook benefits from a robust collection of future draft capital. They are well-positioned to secure a top pick in the 2026 draft. Although they do not own their own 2027 first-round pick (the Houston Rockets possess swap rights), they hold the New York Knicks’ 2027 first-round pick and two first-round picks in 2028 (their own and the Philadelphia 76ers’, which is top-eight protected). Financially, the Nets maintain significant flexibility, with only $36 million in guaranteed money on their books beyond 2027, allowing ample opportunity to reshape the roster in the coming years. Overall, despite their current on-court struggles and the uncertainty surrounding the long-term core, the Nets appear to be in a favorable position for future asset acquisition and roster construction.