New Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray is hoping to recapture some of the defensive production he showcased as a member of the Spurs before joining the Hawks. According to William Guillory of The Athletic, Murray showed he’s still capable of being that kind of player during training camp practices where he contributed flashy steals and deflections.
The Pelicans ranked sixth in defensive efficiency over the past two seasons due in part to their ability to create turnovers. According to Guillory, the Pelicans actively sought Murray due to the fact that he played into their identity and would be a seamless fit on that end.
While losing Naji Marshall to free agency and Dyson Daniels as part of the move to bring Murray in could be a blow, the Pelicans are hoping a motivated Murray alongside Herb Jones can create one of the best defensive duos in the league. With Trey Murphy likely sidelined to open the season due to injury, that would leave Jones, CJ McCollum and Daniel Theis battling for two starting spots next to Murray, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
“The Pelicans have been a top defensive team for years, (we’re going) to continue to grow,” Murray said. “The sky is the limit. If you get stops with this group, and the length we have and guys who can space out and can attack the basket, that’s what we want. That’s the best offense: getting out and running.”
We have more from the Pelicans:
- McCollum will shift to more of an off-ball role while playing alongside Murray, Christian Clark of NOLA.com writes. McCollum played both guard spots for New Orleans since being acquired from Portland, but he’ll continue the trend of taking catch-and-shoot threes that he displayed last season. “I think the beauty of it is both of those guys over the course of their careers have played off other point guards or scoring guards,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “Dejounte did it early in San Antonio. He also did it in Atlanta. CJ, for almost his whole career, was with Damian Lillard. Those guys are interchangeable. They can adjust on the fly. I think it makes us a problem for other teams.“
- While Ingram made waves this summer as a popular rumored trade piece as he enters the final year of his contract, he ultimately stayed put. According to Clark (Twitter link), Ingram has been motivated in training camp so far. “He’s not just fitting in. He’s dominating,” Green said. “It’s really refreshing to see him come into camp (and) play at a high level, high speed. He’s focused on getting to the rim more. Making threes. He’ll still have his midrange game because he’s elite in those positions. But overall, his leadership and spirit has been really good.” Ingram will make $36MM this season and hit unrestricted free agency next year after not yet receiving the maximum extension he was seeking.
- Former Pelicans wing Wesley Johnson is joining New Orleans’ official broadcasting crew as a studio analyst alongside Erin Summers, the team announced (Twitter link). Johnson played with the Pelicans for 26 games (13 starts) in 2018/19 while averaging 3.7 points. Johnson spent the last three seasons as a member of Tyronn Lue‘s coaching staff in Los Angeles.