The NBA is TERRIFIED of this…

The NBA is TERRIFIED of this…

The NBA is terrified of this as we have a huge update on one of the Pelicans biggest stars that is going to be such a huge help for next season. Meanwhile, Willie Green is being forced into an impossible decision for this New Orleans Pelicans team playing in to multiple guys that are involved with the Jonte Murray situation and we are going to break it all down. There’s a lot to go over, guys, and we’re going to jump right into it. But real quick, if you’re not subscribed, if you’re part of that 56% that is not subscribed to Pelicans Digest, make sure to subscribe for daily New Orleans Pelicans updates. We have a lot of stuff going on with the New Orleans Pelicans right now, as you could hear those sirens outside because there is going to be so much news coming out about this team in the coming days with training camp just a couple days away. But let’s jump right into it, guys. There is a lot to go over on this team as DeJonte Murray has been one of the most important players on the New Orleans Pelicans since being traded here. Unfortunately, dealing with an injury in the first couple games of the season and then obviously being out for a while. It threw his season for a loop and his numbers were not the most efficient. However, it is widely understood that Murray is one of the best players on this Pelicans team. Zion Williamson is the best and then you can look at guys like Murray or Trey Murphy as the second best player on this team right now. Both have shown the potential to be that second guy next to Zion Williamson for this team next season with a team that is going to be as balanced as they could possibly make it. Acquiring Jordan Pool is going to help with that as well when it comes to scoring. And DeJonte Murray is going to be a true point guard once again for this team, which is his best role. We’ll see him be able to be an elite defender once again with excellent playmaking who also does have an ability to score the ball. Now, with Deonte, there has been some concern about his game and some injury issues considering how thin he has spent most of his NBA career. However, he recently took a picture of himself on a scale and posted to Snapchat where he’s now up to 194 lbs. Murray, who spent the majority of his career at 180 or below, even though he’s 6’5, 6’6, now has gained some serious muscle to his build. Murray has made it a point to get bigger as frankly you need to avoid some of these injuries that he’s dealt with throughout his time and getting a little bit bigger is going to help him in a multitude of ways. Now jumping into what was mentioned by Chris Lambert. Murray has been in the 36th percentile at rim finishing and the 25th percentile last season. This is a poor conversion rate at the rim and it’s primarily because of his thin frame. Despite being a bigger guard at 6’5, he has always had a thin frame. An additional 14 lbs is only going to skyrocket his finishing rate at the rim and could help him add up to five more points per game on his average while also shooting a lot better from the field, which has been a concern for Murray, whose raw numbers look good from last season when you see the 17 1.5 points per game, 6 and a half rebounds, and seven and a half assists with the two steals. That’s Deonte Murray type stuff. However, when you see he shot 30% from three and 39% from the field, you definitely are or you definitely should be a bit worried about his scoring efficiency. Now again, the Pelicans are a different team going into this season. And even though Brandon Ingram is gone, the scoring has been replaced with Jordan P. And also, the way that Trey Murphy has stepped up and become a 20 plus point per game scorer has led to Murray being able to now kind of be looked at as a guy who’s going to be more of a playmaker next season. So those field goal and three-point numbers can be a bit sort of relaxed when it comes to how big of an issue it is just based off the fact that he’s not going to be one of the top scorers on this team next year. Or at least he doesn’t have to be. Now maybe he does because he’s that got that bigger frame driving under the hoop. He should get better at it. Where his conversion rate at the rim has not been good throughout his career thus far. However, now with Murray, we should see a bit of a change. We look at Murray’s contract right now and he’s on a pretty sizable deal. We’ll make that bigger so you guys can see a little bit better. When you look at DeJonte Murray, he’s getting $30 million per year this season. And if Murray could put up those numbers except with a lot more efficiency, that is an excellent excellent value contract for DeJonte Murray going forwards. The following season he’s making 32 before having a player option in the 2027 28 season where it goes back down to around 30 million which if he opts into would be a good deal for the Pelicans. But part of the reason that he would opt into it is based off if the Pelicans are going to be a successful team or not. The Pelicans have struggled mightily as of recently as we all know and there has to be something that fixes this problem and going into next season. It is a very interesting depth chart that we see. Now again Murray’s going to be the point guard not Jordan Pool. That is backwards. I don’t know why ESPN put it up like that, but the starting lineup is going to most likely be Dejante Murray, Jordan Pool, Trey Murphy, Zion Williamson, and Eves Missy with the backups looking like a mix of some guards there. You have Jose Alvarado, you have Jordan Hawkins, you obviously drafted Fierce. You have Herb Jones back there as one of the best defenders in basketball and likely could find his way into the starting lineup as well. Sadique Bay is someone who’s a fine forward off the bench. And then you have Cavon Looney who does have that championship experience mixed with Derrick Queen who you did trade up for obviously it was a trade that’s very controversial but if it works out then fans should be very happy with the way that it’s all gone. Now, also when looking at this depth chart, we have to consider something else. And that is basically what the future of this New Orleans Pelicans team holds because it’s really it’s becoming this really tough situation for Willie Green who’s going to have to navigate a difficult situation when it comes down to who is getting some of those backup guard minutes. Now that Murray’s healthy again, there’s going to be a lot of questions surrounding who is going to be getting more minutes with the New Orleans Pelicans with a few different guards out there. Now, through his career, Willie Green has obviously shown a bit more disinterest in playing rookies. So, I don’t exactly think Jeremiah Fears, despite being a top 10 pick, is going to be the guy who we look at and see like a bunch of minutes go to given in preseason they’ll all have a chance to really show up and show out. But, it’s really becoming this big question mark on what Green is going to do in the future. I mean, as mentioned by Chris Lambert, Hawkins and Alvarado have the most to prove. The Pelicans drafted a guard this summer in Jeremiah Fearson traded for one back-to-back years. This has put a ton of pressure on Jos Alvarado to build off his career year last season and it is clear that Joe Dumars is ready to look in other directions at point guards. Hawkins Jordan Hawkins is entering his third season and we’ve seen flashes. There’s nothing outside of his college numbers though to prove that he can be a knockdown shooter at the NBA level. The lack of a breakout puts him on thin ice headed into this season and with Jeremiah Fears now there and obviously having Jordan Pool, it does become difficult for Jordan Hawkins to build off this. Now, Alvarado did have a good year last year. Again, the shooting numbers were not great, similar to Jonte Murray, but Alvarado is not really there to shoot the ball. He’s there to be a pesky defender who’s getting steals, who’s getting good assists, who’s a really gritty glue guy for this team. The native New Yorker is a very talented basketball player who does fit well on this team and has now been one of the longer tenure Pelicans players. And frankly, the 10 points, two rebounds, and four assists per game last year. If Alvarado can keep putting up those numbers and find a bit more shooting efficiency, he is going to be someone who’s looked at four big roles in Willie Green’s rotation. But also, Jordan Hawkins, he needs to get those shots down. Now, his corner threes are good. He’s shooting 40% on the corner three, but throughout his entire three-point percentage, when you’re looking above the break, it’s really not good if we’re seeing that he’s shooting 33% on threes when he’s shooting 40% on corner threes. The above the break threes are not what you want to see right now. And in 23 minutes per game last year, he put up 11 points and three rebounds. It’s not like the numbers are terrible, but you need to see that shooting improve. 37% from the field is not at all good. You want to see that at least at 45. And from Hawkins, you want to see that three-point shot at least get to like 38. Did I say 35 for field goal? 45. I meant to say 45. I said 35. Excuse me on that mistake. But you want to see Hawkins get to around 37% from three next season or he’s going to struggle to have a role with this Pelicans team going forwards. So I do want to see Jordan Hawkins break out. But if he’s not going to play well, you put in Jeremiah Fears and you stop asking questions. Hopefully Willie Green is actually willing to play the rookie who they drafted in the top 10. It is a bit of a question. We’ll see what happens. It’ll also judge a lot on Willie Green’s future with the Pelicans based off how this beginning of this season looks. What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments down below. Be sure to get back to you. Like this video, subscribe, turn on post notifications. Have a great day. I’ll catch you later.

Chris Gallagher breaks down Dejounte Murray going through a major transformation while Willie Green is forced into an impossible decision.

Pelicans Digest is a YouTube channel dedicated to covering all the latest news, trades, reports, and rumors about the New Orleans Pelicans. We provide in-depth coverage of game highlights, player performances, and analysis of team strategies. Our channel features discussions on key players like Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, and Herb Jones, along with insights from Head Coach Willie Green and General Manager Bryson Graham. Stay tuned for all the exciting updates and engaging content on everything Pelicans!

Have you ever wanted to break into sports media as a write or content creator? Apply to join the Digest Media team today here: https://digestmedia.ca/join-us/

NBA Trade Rumors, NBA Free Agency, NBA Draft, NBA Finals Preview, Fantasy Basketball Advice, NBA Betting Odds, NBA Jersey Review, Player Performance Breakdown, DraftKings NBA Picks, FanDuel NBA Strategy, Sports Analytics, NBA Highlights, NBA News Update, NBA Stats, NBA Roster Moves, NBA Predictions