Season stats: 2025-26. Updated 19 d ago.
Julian Reese Lands in New Orleans After a Strong Rookie Stretch in Washington
Pelicans Nightly Desk · 8 min agoJulian Reese heads into 2026-27 with the New Orleans Pelicans after spending his rookie season with Washington, where he posted a near double-double line in limited games. He is not on the injury report. With no 2026-27 numbers on the board yet, the opener is still ahead.
New team, new chapter
Julian Reese enters the 2026-27 season with the New Orleans Pelicans. The 6-9, 230-pound forward out of Maryland is 23 years old and comes in with one season of NBA experience, all of it with Washington last year. He is not listed on the injury report and carries no injury history into the year. Pelicans fans have not seen him in games with the franchise yet, so his New Orleans body of work starts from zero. Everything on record for Reese right now comes from his rookie year in Washington, which gives an idea of the game he brings: rebounding, physicality inside, and a developing offensive role. The opener will be the first real look at how he fits in New Orleans.
The rookie season by the numbers
Reese played 13 games last season with Washington, averaging 30.9 minutes, 11.8 points and 10.5 rebounds a night. He added 1.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.6 blocks, with 2.5 turnovers per game. He shot 52.9 percent from the field but did not connect from three, going 0.0 percent, and hit 63.6 percent of his free throws. His true shooting mark was 55.7 percent on a usage rate of 17.3 percent. The plus-minus was rough at -8.6, a reflection of where Washington stood as a team more than a read on his individual play. The rebounding number stands out most: double-digit boards a game in a rookie season is a real signal.
A heavy workload down the stretch
The recent game log from last season shows Reese getting real minutes late in the year. He logged 43.8 minutes in a loss to Brooklyn on 2026-04-05, posting 17 points and 16 rebounds. Two starts earlier, on 2026-04-09 against Chicago, he put up 16 points and 15 rebounds in 39.1 minutes, and two days after that against the same Bulls he had 17 points and 11 rebounds in 36.1 minutes. His best scoring night in the stretch came against Utah on 2026-03-25, a win, where he scored 26 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in just 30.1 minutes. Not every night was smooth: on 2026-04-04 against Miami he played only 10.5 minutes and did not score, though he still grabbed 9 rebounds.
Health report ahead of the season
Reese is not on the injury report. There is no injury history on file for him. That is a clean bill of health heading into a new season with a new team, which matters for a player whose value is tied to rebounding and physical play in the paint. Nothing in his background suggests durability concerns, and the absence of any injury notes means the Pelicans should have him available as the schedule opens. For a forward who logged heavy minutes late last season, including a 43.8-minute outing, staying off the injury report is a good starting point for New Orleans as it builds its frontcourt rotation.
What to watch when the season starts
The 2026-27 season has not produced any Pelicans numbers for Reese yet, so the opener is the first real data point in New Orleans. Last season's Washington averages of 11.8 points and 10.5 rebounds in 30.9 minutes give a baseline for what he can do with a real role. The open question is how he fits into New Orleans' frontcourt rotation and how much of that Washington usage rate of 17.3 percent carries over. His outside shot was a non-factor last season at 0.0 percent from three, so his early value in New Orleans is likely to come the way it did last year: on the glass and around the rim.
Questions fans ask
What team does Julian Reese play for in 2026-27?
He is with the New Orleans Pelicans.
What position and size is Julian Reese?
He is a forward listed at 6-9 and 230 pounds.
What did Reese average last season?
In 13 games with Washington last season, he averaged 11.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.6 blocks in 30.9 minutes.
Is Julian Reese injured?
No. He is not on the injury report and has no injury history on file.
Where did Julian Reese play college basketball?
He played at Maryland.
How much NBA experience does Reese have?
He has one season of experience, spent with Washington in 2025-26.
Shot map
2025-26 · every field-goal attempt from the play-by-play| Zone | FGA | Share | FG% | League | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted area | 73 | 61% | 65.8% | 66.9% | -1.2 |
| Paint (non-RA) | 38 | 32% | 34.2% | 44.3% | -10.1 |
| Mid-range | 8 | 7% | 25.0% | 41.6% | — |
| Corner 3 | 0 | 0% | — | 38.5% | — |
| Above the break 3 | 0 | 0% | — | 35.0% | — |
Zones from the shot coordinates: restricted area within 4 ft, paint inside the lane, mid-range for the other twos, corner threes below the break (22 ft), the rest above the break (23.75 ft). League column is every shot of 2025-26. Δ shown from 10 attempts.
Splits
2025-26 · 13 games · 1-12Game log
last 10 · 2025-26| Date | Opp | Result | Min | Pts | Reb | Ast | FG | 3P | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Apr 12 | at CLE | L 117-130 | 18 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 5-7 | 0-0 | -3 |
| Fri, Apr 10 | vs MIA | L 117-140 | 37 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 5-11 | 0-0 | -11 |
| Thu, Apr 9 | vs CHI | L 108-119 | 39 | 16 | 15 | 1 | 5-14 | 0-0 | -17 |
| Tue, Apr 7 | vs CHI | L 98-129 | 36 | 17 | 11 | 4 | 8-14 | 0-0 | -15 |
| Sun, Apr 5 | at BKN | L 115-121 | 44 | 17 | 16 | 1 | 8-16 | 0-0 | -12 |
| Sat, Apr 4 | at MIA | L 136-152 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 0-2 | 0-0 | +5 |
| Sun, Mar 29 | at POR | L 88-123 | 39 | 8 | 13 | 4 | 4-12 | 0-0 | -28 |
| Wed, Mar 25 | at UTA | W 133-110 | 30 | 26 | 17 | 0 | 12-16 | 0-0 | +7 |
| Mon, Mar 16 | vs GSW | L 117-125 | 24 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5-7 | 0-0 | -5 |
| Sun, Mar 8 | at NOP | L 118-138 | 26 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 1-4 | 0-0 | -2 |