It was a great Monday for the Reese family.
In the WNBA, Angel Reese had a monster double-double as the Atlanta Dream evened up the WNBA Finals at a game apiece against the Golden State Valkyries.
And in the NBA, Angel’s brother Julian Reese has officially made an NBA roster.
The New Orleans Pelicans posted their season-opening roster on their social media channels, and Julian Reese is on it.
The New Orleans Pelicans have announced their 2026-27 opening night roster. https://t.co/hKfacXQeIs
— Oleh Kosel 🇺🇦🇺🇸🇦🇺 (@OlehKosel) October 19, 2026
Julian Reese Roster Decision
Reese is on the Pelicans’ roster to open the 2026-27 NBA season.
Specifically, Reese will be on a two-way deal.
That means that he can spend a designated amount of time with the NBA roster while also being required to play some games in the G League.
It’s a choice New Orleans makes to keep Reese around as he continues to develop while giving him both NBA experience but also a chance at more playing time when he’s down in the G League. He can develop both from an experience standpoint but also from a usage standpoint.
It was clear from how the Pelicans used Reese in the preseason that they weren’t planning on giving him a huge role this season, but evidently they liked what they saw from him between games and practices.
Reese played in three preseason games and averaged 6.1 minutes per game. In that time, he averaged 2.0 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.3 blocks per game.
Now, he’ll have a chance to push for some more NBA playing time.
Julian Reese Stats
Reese made his NBA debut in the 2025-26 season with the Washington Wizards.
The former Maryland power forward put up good numbers for the Wizards, starting in 10 of the 13 games he played in.
Reese averaged 30.9 minutes per game to go with 11.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.
The big fella made 52.9% of his shot attempts from the field, as well as 63.6 % of his free throws.
Reese didn’t attempt a 3-pointer, so being a perimeter threat is not a part of his game right now.
Despite the impressive numbers, Reese didn’t get brought back by the Wizards, which shows there is some doubt about his ability to contribute to winning at the NBA level.
But on Monday, Reese got the good news that he has officially made the Pelicans. He likely got to go home and watch on TV as his sister had a huge game out in Golden State.
Julian will have work to do to prove he belongs, but he kept himself on the roster, which was the key next step.
Pelicans Make Roster Decision on Angel Reese’s Brother Julian