1 Goal for all 17 players on the New Orleans Pelicans roster
By Mat Issa
Herbert Jones: Earn an All-Defensive Team nomination.
This one isn’t technically in Herbert Jones’ control, as he will need the nod from voters to achieve this goal. And relying on others to get to your goals isn’t typically a good idea. But Jones can make a case that is so compelling that the voting body will find it hard to overlook him this time around.
With Williamson back in the fold (hopefully), the Pelicans won’t be able to play as many defensively-slanted players as they were able to last year after he got hurt. That means that the ones they do play (like Jones) will have a bigger role than before.
If Jones can keep this defense afloat while Williamson takes the offense to new heights, he’ll have as strong a case as any perimeter defender in the race.
Trey Murphy III: Diversify your offensive portfolio.
Last season, Trey Murphy III had one of the best seasons of anyone in the 2021 NBA Draft. He established himself as one of the new-age “three-and-D+” role players that everyone in the league is desperately looking to obtain. And to be honest, if he never gets better, he’d still be a really good player.
However, Murphy is still young and does have some room to grow. The next step in that maturation would be diversifying his offensive portfolio. Right now, he can hit spot-up triples, attack closeouts, and punctuate lobs. But it would be huge if next year, he came back being able to participate in more movement shooting or handle some more on-ball responsibilities.