Pelicans Will Fly More Miles Than Anyone in 2026-27 — That's a Problem They Don't Need

The schedule came out Thursday, and New Orleans landed at the top of a list nobody wants to lead. A pair of overseas games push the Pelicans to the most air miles of any NBA team next season, with San Antonio the only other franchise in the same conversation. For most teams, that's a logistical nuisance. For this one, it lands differently.

The Pelicans went 1-10 in their final 20 road games last season. Their defense, which was already shaky, gave up 126.3 points per game over the final 10 contests — a jump of nearly 11 points from the prior month's average. Fatigue and defensive structure are connected, and New Orleans spent the back half of 2025-26 proving it. Adding a heavier travel burden to a roster still being rebuilt is not ideal timing.

Zion Williamson played 65 games last season. Jordan Poole played 42. The depth that exists is young — Jeremiah Fears and Yves Missi are still finding their footing at this level — and youth doesn't absorb a grinding Western Conference road schedule any more gracefully than veterans do. My read is that roster management through the first two months will matter more than usual here, simply because the miles accumulate early and the team can't afford another defensive collapse by February.

The overseas games are what they are — the league schedules them, teams adjust. But for a franchise trying to rebuild defensive habits from scratch, the 2026-27 calendar is not doing them any favors.