Updated March 19, 2026, 6:06 p.m. ET
On the latest edition of the HoopsHype show “Around The Beat,” hosts Cyro Asseo and Sam Yip bring you the pulse of the New Orleans Pelicans from a uniquely informed perspective with Shamit Dua, the Pelicans writer behind the “In The NO” newsletter and podcast. They discuss Dejounte Murray’s galvanizing return from injury, Zion Williamson’s transformed approach to the game, the front office’s controversial roster philosophy, and what the future holds for the franchise.
You can watch the full podcast or check out snippets of the conversation in the transcribed version below the YouTube video.
Timestamps: 00:01:26 – 00:03:32 / 00:03:53 – 00:04:23
Shamit Dua: “He definitely brings a style of basketball and a solid personality that I think is not common in the NBA in general, but also just like on the Pelicans team specifically. They’ve lacked sort of this outspoken, in-your-face style basketball player. Dejounte really wears his emotions on his sleeve, and I think it is infectious. It is something that everyone’s like, ‘Well, this guy clearly cares so much. You know, it’d be kind of an affront to not care as much as he does.'”
The audition begins
Timestamps: 00:03:32 – 00:04:53 / 00:04:54 – 00:05:38
SD: “In the back of everybody’s mind, they know that this is a new regime… unless you’re Yves Missi or Karlo Matkovic, you’re part of the previous regime, and there’s no guarantee that you’re going to be here. And it’s in your best interest to continue to audition not only for this team, but for every other team. And I think there’s incentive in that in terms of playing hard.”
Timestamps: 00:08:14 – 00:09:47 / 00:14:53 – 00:16:08 / 00:30:51 – 00:31:55
SD: “I think Zion’s going to get extended… When Joe Dumars got here, there were some tough conversations had with Zion about what the expectation is for professionalism. And to Dumars’s credit, Zion really took that to heart… He really wants to be in New Orleans, and he really, really wants the narrative on him to flip… I would model it after Julius Randle’s extension… around three years, $100 million or so. Around 30 to $35 million a year. I think it’s a good sweet spot for Zion.”
AD vs. Zion
Timestamps: 00:11:49 – 00:14:31
SD: “Davis, while he was in and out of games, he was still mostly healthy for the duration of his Pelicans career, and he was way more professional in how he approached the game… When you have a player who averages, like, 35 games a year, you can’t take those type of swings.”
Timestamps: 00:16:37 – 00:18:47 / 00:24:43 – 00:26:49
SD: “I think everybody on the team has a price. But the price is set intentionally high for guys like Herb Jones and Trey Murphy. So if those prices are met… those guys are available, but they’re set to deter teams from asking.”
DeAndre Jordan’s surprising role vs. Kevon Looney’s
Timestamps: 00:18:47 – 00:21:22
SD: “DeAndre Jordan, to everybody’s surprise, has won his minutes… I think it’s just evidence that, hey, if you can just do the bare minimum at that position, the Pelicans could be really good. And if they can get someone that can be more than the bare minimum… the guy that I have my eye on this summer is the local guy, Mitch Robinson.”
The medical staff shake-up
Timestamps: 00:21:42 – 00:24:14
SD: “The medical side of the front office, most of them are on final years of their deals… It’s going to look completely different come this summer. And it’s something that people who follow the team need to be a little bit nervous about, because ownership wants to cut corners… there should be a healthy amount of skepticism that they’re not going to invest in this area.”
Timestamps: 00:43:31 – 00:47:39
SD: “I think if it were up to me, James Borrego should just have the interim tag removed… They’ve decentralized their offense away from Zion in a way that’s become increasingly effective, and that was a challenge that Willie Green would talk about every single season… I think Borrego has certainly done enough to where he needs a look at the head coach.”
Trey Murphy might be (almost) untouchable
Timestamps: 00:48:54 – 00:50:19
SD: “I think they view him as a guy that pairs perfectly with their star draft pick, Yves Missi… Trey is someone that pairs perfectly with anybody because he’s an off-ball, highly efficient offensive player that can shapeshift into whatever offensive role you really need him to.”
You can follow Cyro Asseo (@CyroAsseo), Sam Yip (@SamYip__), and Shamit Dua (@FearThe Brown) on X.