New Orleans Pelicans Media Day: What To Expect

Media Day marks the unofficial start of the season for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Oct 2, 2023; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1), forward Brandon Ingram (14), and guard CJ McCollum (3) giggle as they pose during Pelicans media day at the Smoothie King Center. / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans will have their Media Day event for the 2024-25 season on Sept. 30. The highly anticipated event marks the beginning of the new basketball season. New Orleans' social media team tweeted on X to build fan anticipation for the first time the team has publicly reconvened ahead of the latest NBA year.

exactly ONE WEEK ‘til Pelicans Media Day

let us know what y’all wanna see 👀 pic.twitter.com/bLzLVpVsRq

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) September 23, 2024

One hot-button topic will be Brandon Ingram's contract situation. Ingram and the Pelicans could not agree on an extension, and now the former overall No. 2 pick enters this season in the final year of his deal. Reports surfaced earlier in the summer that the former All-Star guard sought a max extension worth $45-$50 million annually.

The Pelicans were unwilling to meet his demands and contacted several teams regarding his availability. No deal was struck, and now he remains on the roster. Ingram skipped a voluntary team workout in August for unspecified reasons and was the only player besides newly signed center Daniel Theis not to appear in California for the workout.

Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin, General Manager Bryson Graham, and Head Coach Willie Green are all expected to speak to the media at 9:00 a.m. and field various questions about Ingram and the team's center position. New Orleans enters uncharted territory with playing 'small ball' basketball this upcoming season. Griffin previewed the team's vision to play a quicker brand of basketball.

"I know everybody thinks we have to invest in the center position a little bit," Griffin recently said during an interview during Summer League. "We are really excited about what we have now. We are excited to play small and fast."

The Pelicans drafted former Baylor center Yves Missi in the first round of this year's NBA Draft. Missi projects to contribute little this season because of his lack of basketball experience. The former Cameroonian native has only played three years of organized basketball. He will most likely spend time with the G League affiliate Birmingham Squadron throughout the year.

New Orleans signed veteran center Daniel Theis to a one-year deal this summer. Theis is an undersized, 6-foot-8 center, but it aligns with the team's plans for a smaller lineup. Expect all-star forward Zion Williamson and fourth-year forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to see some time at center this season as well.

Player availability will start at approximately 10:00 a.m., and then the Pelicans will quickly fly to Nashville, Tennessee, to hold training camp this season. New Orleans' training facility is undergoing renovations, so the team found suitable accommodations elsewhere. The Pelicans open their regular season on Oct. 23rd at home against the Chicago Bulls.