Dejounte Murray

Southeast Notes: Daniels, Ware, Wizards, Williams

December 4th, 2024 at 10:17pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, acquired as part of Atlanta’s blockbuster trade that shipped Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans, put the defensive clamps on Murray during the former Hawk’s first game against his old team, writes Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Murray was limited to shooting just 2-of-15 from the field against the Hawks on Monday, while Daniels notched 19 points on 50% field goal shooting.

Murray was the subject of frequent boos from the Atlanta home crowd, and couldn’t get much offense cooking against Daniels. Daniels has emerged as the defense-first backcourt partner for Trae Young that the Hawks had hoped Murray would be when they first acquired him from the Spurs in 2022.

The 21-year-old Daniels is in the third season of his rookie-scale deal, and seems to be fitting in nicely with his new squad. So far this year, the 6’8″ guard is averaging a career-best 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 3.0 assists per night.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

The Heat sent rookie center Kel’el Ware to their G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, this week for the first time this season, reports Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Ware has played a grand total of 69 minutes across Miami’s first 20 contests this year, so his stint with the Skyforce will give him a chance for increased reps. The seven-footer was selected with the No. 15 pick out of Indiana.
The Wizards‘ epic losing streak has reached 15 games, approaching the team’s franchise record, writes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. Washington tied that record, 16 straight defeats, just last season. The Wizards could potentially match or even break that tally in the coming days. Washington next plays Dallas (Thursday), Denver (Saturday), and Memphis (Sunday), all Western Conference squads with winning records.
Hornets center Mark Williams suited up for his first game in almost a year, a 110-104 loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday. Williams had been sidelined with a lingering strained tendon in his left foot this fall after missing most of last season due to a back issue. Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes that the big moment signified a positive step forward for the young center. Notching just nine minutes of action, the seven-foot big man scored four points on 1-of-4 shooting from the floor and 2-of-2 shooting from the foul line. He also pulled down three rebounds and blocked one shot.

Floundering Pelicans ‘Embarrassed’ After Latest Loss

November 28th, 2024 at 9:16am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pelicans were blown out by the Raptors on Wednesday in Dejounte Murray‘s return from a fractured hand. Murray and his teammates left their home court humiliated with their season at a crossroads. Their fans turned on them during the 119-93 loss and Murray couldn’t blame them.

“If you’re not embarrassed and really mad about this, that’s a problem,” Murray said, per Brett Martel of the Associated Press. “It’s not really about the loss, (but) how we lost in front of our fans, Like, even the fans booing — I mean, what would you do if you was a fan paying your money? You want to come watch a competitive basketball game, especially from your home team. So, they got all the rights to say what they want, feel how they feel. They deserve a better game.”

Entering the season, the Pelicans looked like a contender with Murray, acquired in a trade with Atlanta, joining a lineup that included Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram, along with proven role players Trey Murphy, Herbert Jones and Jose Alvarado.

Injuries have left them scrambling the first two months of the season. They have lost six straight and 15 of their last 17. Williamson, Ingram, Murphy, Jones and Alvarado remain sidelined but Murray says the compete level must rise, no matter who is available. Toronto came into New Orleans winless on the road.

“When you’ve got guys in, guys out, guys in, guys out, it’s really tough,” said Murray, who finished with 14 points after missing his first seven field goal attempts. “But I think it’s not tough to compete. You can’t get punked. You can’t get pushed around. Tonight, it was just disgusting. We’ve got to compete. We’ve got to play harder, no matter who’s on the floor.”

It’s fair to wonder whether changes might be coming soon, either to the roster or the coaching staff. Head coach Willie Green knows a quick turnaround is needed if his team wants to get back in the postseason picture.

“Starting with me, we have to be better,” Green said, according to Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “That was a lack of competition. We allowed a team to come on our home floor and make us look soft. That’s what I told our group. That can’t happen.”

Toronto shot 49.5 percent from the field and had 38 assists on 47 made baskets.

“Either they got better overnight, or we’ve got to do a better job closing out and making it more difficult,” McCollum said. “It was a horrible showing. From top to bottom, we’ve all got to be better.”

New Orleans now heads out on a three-game road swing with stops in Memphis, New York and Atlanta.

Southwest Notes: Murray, Payton, Aldama, Tate

November 27th, 2024 at 2:07pm CST by Luke Adams

After a report earlier in the week stated that Dejounte Murray was targeting Wednesday for his return from a fractured hand, the Pelicans confirmed it today, announcing (via Twitter) that the team’s most significant offseason addition will be available to play vs. Toronto.

As Will Guillory of The Athletic writes, New Orleans prioritized Murray over the summer because the team wanted to add a true floor general, something the roster had lacked in recent years. Although Murray struggled to score efficiently in his first and only regular season game with the Pelicans last month, making just 4-of-15 shots from the field, he racked up 10 assists and the offense had a more “natural order” when he was running the show, according to Guillory.

While the Pelicans have been missing several players in recent weeks due to injuries, getting a play-maker like Murray back represents a crucial step toward establishing an identity and improving an offense that ranks 27th in the NBA with a 106.8 offensive rating.

“It’s contagious,” head coach Willie Green said. “When you have guys like that who are willing to get off the basketball — they’re looking to get you quality looks — guys are running more. They’re cutting more. Now, they’re sharing the ball because there’s a standard that’s been set.”

We have more from around the Southwest:

With Murray unavailable, point guard Elfrid Payton has started the past three games for the Pelicans after signing a non-guaranteed contract a week ago. It had been two-and-a-half years since Payton last played in a regular season NBA game, but he has been impressive — New Orleans has been better with him on the court than off it in all three games and he handed out a career-high 21 assists on Monday in Indiana. Christian Clark of NOLA.com has the story on Payton’s huge night on Monday, while Rod Walker of NOLA.com takes a look at how the Lousiana native has stepped up for his hometown team.
Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama didn’t reach an agreement on a rookie scale extension prior to this season and is now on track to reach restricted free agency in 2025. Speaking to Nacho Duque of Marca, Aldama – who is averaging a career-best 12.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game – said he’s making an effort not to play “selfish” basketball in his contract year and hopes to work out a new deal with the Grizzlies next summer. “Memphis is my home,” he said. “I feel like we have a very good relationship, and I hope it lasts for many more years.”
Kelly Iko and Danny Leroux of The Athletic take a look at where three Southwest teams – the Rockets, Spurs, and Grizzlies – stand from a salary cap perspective. Within the story, Iko reports that “a few teams” have inquired this season about the availability of veteran Houston forward Jae’Sean Tate, who is on an expiring $7.56MM contract and has fallen out of the club’s rotation due to the emergence of other players. According to Iko, the Rockets would be seeking second-round draft capital in return for Tate.

Pelicans’ Dejounte Murray Plans To Return Wednesday

November 25th, 2024 at 11:55am CST by Rory Maher

Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray intends to return to action on Wednesday vs. Toronto, sources tell NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).

Murray was the first of several Pelicans regulars to sustain an in-season injury, going down on opening night with a fractured left hand. The 28-year-old was the club’s most significant offseason addition, with the Pelicans sending Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., and a pair of future first-round picks to Atlanta as part of a package for an impact player they envisioned as their starting point guard.

Murray looked good in that role on October 23, nearly registering a triple-double (14 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds) in 30 minutes of action in the team’s season-opening win over the Bulls. However, he hasn’t played since then, and New Orleans has also seen Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, Herbert Jones, Jose Alvarado, and Jordan Hawkins sidelined with multi-week injuries.

The Pelicans have lost 13 of 15 games since winning their first two of the season. They’re running out of time to turn things around in a competitive Western Conference and are expected to be without Williamson and Alvarado for a while yet, but there are reinforcements coming in the backcourt.

While Murray is officially listed as out for Monday’s contest vs. Indiana (Twitter link), his backcourt mate McCollum is probable, indicating he’s likely to return after missing the past 13 games with a right adductor strain. Murray appears on track to rejoin him in the starting lineup two days later.

Brandon Ingram is questionable for Monday’s game with right calf soreness.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Dejounte Murray To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Hand Fracture

October 25th, 2024 at 10:21am CST by Arthur Hill

The fractured left hand that Dejounte Murray suffered in his Pelicans debut on Wednesday night will keep him out of action for four to six weeks, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). Murray underwent successful surgery on the hand, Charania adds.

Murray injured his hand at some point in the fourth quarter of New Orleans’ victory over Chicago, according to Brett Martel of The Associated Press. He didn’t talk to reporters after the game, but CJ McCollum said Murray indicated during the game that the hand was bothering him.

“He looked at me and said his hand didn’t feel right,” McCollum said. “He just continued to play. … He battled through, he played and played well considering those circumstances.”

Despite the injury, Murray was giving the Pelicans the kind of steady backcourt presence they were seeking when they acquired him in an offseason trade with Atlanta. He had 14 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds while turning the ball over just once.

While Murray is sidelined, more ball-handling duties are expected to be given to Zion Williamson, who frequently ran the offense last season, writes Christian Clark of NOLA. McCollum and Brandon Ingram will also see more time in that role.

“I hate it for Dejounte and our group,” coach Willie Green said. “We are kind of just getting started, just getting going. But at the same time, we understand that in this league and in life, you’re going to face adversity. The good thing about it is it’s not a long-term injury that will keep him out for a whole season.”

There’s also a financial component to Murray’s injury, Clark adds. His contract includes approximately $1.9MM in incentives that are tied to him playing at least 65 games, so they won’t be available if he misses more than 17.

New Orleans is operating slightly above the luxury tax line, so Murray’s incentives will be very important in determining whether it’s headed toward being a taxpaying team. The Pelicans would only be in the tax by about $850K if Murray doesn’t achieve any of his bonuses, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Clark points out that the Pelicans are one of two NBA franchises that have never paid the tax, so the team figures to explore cost-cutting moves whether or not Murray is able to return in time to reach the 65-game threshold. He will miss 15 games if he’s able to come back exactly four weeks from today.

Injury Notes: Pelicans, Kings, Raptors, Adams, Collier

October 24th, 2024 at 3:20pm CST by Rory Maher

He technically wasn’t injured, but Pelicans star Zion Williamson sat out Wednesday’s season-opening victory over Chicago due to an illness. There’s optimism Willliamson will be ready for Friday’s contest in Portland after he practiced on Thursday, according to Rod Walker of The Times-Picayune (Twitter links).

“Looks like he’s good to go,” head coach Willie Green said.

In a press release (Twitter link), the Pelicans also provided injury updates on Trey Murphy (right hamstring strain) and Dejounte Murray, who fractured his left hand last night.

The team said Murray is out indefinitely, with further updates to come when appropriate, while Murphy has made good progress in his recovery and will begin conditioning work. Murphy, who signed a four-year, $112MM rookie scale extension earlier this week, will be reevaluated in two weeks.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

Kevin Huerter (shoulder surgery) and Trey Lyles (left groin strain) missed the entire preseason for the Kings, but both veterans were full practice participants on Tuesday and Wednesday and will be active for Thursday’s season opener vs. Minnesota, writes James Ham of The Kings Beat. Neither player will be on a minutes restriction, according to head coach Mike Brown, who confirmed Huerter will start at shooting guard.
Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley sustained a pelvic contusion in Wednesday’s loss to Cleveland and did not practice on Thursday, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Both Quickley and RJ Barrett (shoulder) are doubtful for Friday’s contest vs. Philadelphia, while Kelly Olynyk (back), Ja’Kobe Walter (shoulder) and Bruce Brown (knee) remain out (Twitter link via Lewenberg).
Rockets center Steven Adams, who missed all of last season with a right knee injury, was initially listed as questionable for Wednesday’s loss to Charlotte due to knee injury recovery and a left calf strain and wound up sitting out. Head coach Ime Udoka referred to Adams as “day-to-day, game-to-game” on Thursday afternoon, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Jazz rookie Isaiah Collier (right hamstring strain) has been cleared for on-court work, but he’ll miss at least 10 more days, which is when he’ll be reevaluated, the team announced (Twitter link via Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune). The former USC guard was the No. 29 overall pick of June’s draft.

Dejounte Murray Breaks Hand In Pelicans Debut

October 23rd, 2024 at 10:47pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

OCTOBER 24: Imaging has indeed revealed that Murray broke his left hand, sources tell Charania. He now faces a lengthy recovery before he can play his second game for the Pelicans.

OCTOBER 23: The Pelicans are concerned that combo guard Dejounte Murray may have fractured his left hand during his New Orleans regular season debut on Wednesday, sources inform Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The 6’5″ vet was acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Hawks this summer that saw New Orleans give up multiple role players and draft picks. In the Pelicans’ 123-111 victory over the Bulls, Murray scored 14 points on 4-of-15 shooting from the floor and 6-of-7 shooting from the charity stripe. He also handed out 10 assists and pulled down eight boards.

New Orleans won 49 contests last season, but was quickly swept out of the playoffs by the Thunder in the first round in the spring. In making a play for Murray, team president David Griffin opted to load up on two-way backcourt talent. Should the injury be a break, that move could come back to bite the Pelicans during the regular season.

A former All-Star and All-Defensive player with the Spurs, Murray struggled to find his footing during his two seasons in Atlanta, playing alongside another ball-dominant guard in All-Star Trae Young.

While plying his trade for the Hawks, Murray averaged 21.5 points, 6.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game on .462/.355/.810 shooting splits. The team, however, made the playoffs only once during his tenure.

New Orleans represented a far more balanced squad for Murray, perhaps his best chance yet to make at least the second round of the playoffs. With his health now a long-term concern this year, the Pelicans’ fate is suddenly far more tenuous in what figures to be a competitive Western Conference race.

Injury Notes: Embiid, George, Reaves, Suns, Murray

October 22nd, 2024 at 10:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers will be without two members of their “big three” when they open their season on Wednesday vs. the Bucks, the team announced today. As Ramona Shelburne of ESPN relays (via Twitter), Joel Embiid and Paul George have both been ruled out for that game.

Embiid didn’t play at all during the preseason due to left knee management. In addition to being ruled out for Wednesday’s opener, the star center will also miss Friday’s game in Toronto and Sunday’s in Indiana before being reevaluated this weekend. However, the former MVP is expected to ramp up his return-to-play activities and will scrimmage this week, so it sounds like the isn’t far off from making his season debut.

As for George, he’s said to be recovering well after hyperextending his left knee during the preseason. He’ll also ramp up his on-court activities this week and hasn’t been ruled out for any games beyond Wednesday’s vs. Milwaukee. The plan is for the star forward to be reassessed later this week.

While it’s a somewhat discouraging sign for 76ers fans that two of the team’s three stars will be on the shelf for the start of the season, the team has repeatedly expressed a desire to play it safe with Embiid and George this season in the hopes of having them at full strength for the postseason, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that the team isn’t rushing them back for the first of 82 regular season games.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

Lakers guard Austin Reaves missed some time during the preseason with an ankle injury, but he said on Monday that the ankle feels great now and that he’s good to go for the club’s opener vs. Minnesota on Tuesday (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic).
Suns swingman Grayson Allen missed the team’s final four preseason contests due to a sore right Achilles, but he said he “did just about everything” in practice on Monday and hopes to be active when Phoenix’s season tips off on Wednesday vs. the Clippers, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Meanwhile, Suns guards Josh Okogie and Damion Lee are battling hamstring issues. “I think Damion is close,” head coach Mike Budenholzer said. “Josh is a little bit behind those guys.”
Dejounte Murray isn’t injured, but his status for the Pelicans‘ opener on Wednesday vs. Chicago is up in the air since he’s away from the team due to a family emergency, tweets Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Head coach Willie Green said the team is “hopeful” Murray will be available to make his Pelicans debut on Wednesday.

Southwest Notes: VanVleet, Murray, Pelicans, Gortman

October 21st, 2024 at 9:07am CST by Luke Adams

After signing a maximum-salary contract with the Rockets last summer, Fred VanVleet averaged 17.4 points per game – his lowest scoring mark since 2018/19 – while handing out a career-high 8.1 assists per contest. In his second season in Houston, the team wouldn’t mind seeing VanVleet turn some of those assists into points, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).

As Feigen observes, the Rockets should have more ball-handling options this season, with rookie Reed Sheppard capable of handling those duties and second-year guard Amen Thompson growing into that role. That will allow the club to have VanVleet operate off the ball a little more often, opening up catch-and-shoot opportunities. He made 38.7% of his three-point tries last season.

“As we’ve seen with Fred in the past, he can play off ball. That’s one of his strengths,” head coach Ime Udoka said. “To play with (DeMar) DeRozan, Kawhi Leonard, (Pascal) Siakam, all these guys that really handle it quite a bit, he’s been the recipient. I think he’s been more so in practices and preseason games of getting some off-ball shots. That speaks to the comfort of other guys to handle it, make plays. … He can take plays off, be off the ball some, and be the recipient of some assists instead of making them.”

Udoka expressed confidence in Sheppard and Thompson as options to initiate the offense and also pointed to Jalen Green as someone who can bring the ball up the court. Besides letting VanVleet play off the ball more, those other ball-handlers should also put the Rockets in position to reduce the veteran point guard’s minutes after he averaged 36.8 MPG last season.

“Not a specific number, but way less than that, obviously,” Udoka said when asked about a target for VanVleet’s minutes. “That was the second-highest of his career. But he’s a guy that played heavy minutes in Toronto in the past. He took that on himself last year to really help us grow in those areas. It was another coach on the floor. But we’d like to drop that, for sure.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Pelicans point guard Dejounte Murray is looking forward to reclaiming what he considers his “real position” this season in New Orleans after spending two seasons playing alongside Trae Young with the Hawks, according to Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “In Atlanta, I was in the corner and on the wings, and I made the best of it,” Murray said. “Here, they are allowing me to play my real position. Playing point guard. Keeping everything organized. And making dudes better. And doing what I do best.”
The Pelicans intend to operate without a traditional center on the court for significant chunks of games this season. Head coach Willie Green believes the strategy can work, since those units should provide more versatility on both ends of the court despite giving up some rim protection and rebounding, but he stressed it will require a commitment from the players in those small-ball lineups. “When those units are on the floor, they have to have an understanding that they have to be tougher,” Green said (story via Clark at NOLA.com). “They have to play harder. We have to compete at a higher level. We have to rebound at a higher level in order for those types of groups to work.” Daniel Theis, who has spent most of his career as a backup, and rookie Yves Missi are New Orleans’ top two traditional centers, but forward Herbert Jones may open the season as the team’s de facto five.
Camp invitee Jazian Gortman impressed the Mavericks this fall not just with his play on the court but with his work ethic off it, according to Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Substack link), who notes that the guard spent plenty of time watching film before games and getting extra reps after practices. Gortman, who believes his decision-making and his three-point shot have both improved since Summer League, was promoted to a two-way contract on Friday. “He impressed not just me but the organization as a whole,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “Everyone who watched camp felt he was impressive, and we knew he was someone we needed to take a closer look at.”

Pelicans Notes: Murray, McCollum, Ingram, Johnson

October 3rd, 2024 at 8:24pm CST by Tristan Tucker

New Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray is hoping to get back to the defensive level he showcased as a member of the Spurs before joining the Hawks. As William Guillory of The Athletic writes, Murray has displayed during training camp practices that he’s still capable of being that kind of player, making a series of impressive 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 Herbert 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 has 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 was an oft-rumored trade candidate this offseason as he enters the final year of his contract, he ultimately stayed put. According to Clark (Twitter link), the star forward 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 mid-range 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 is on track to hit unrestricted free agency next July 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.

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