This 2024-25 NBA season has been quite the wild ride. In these closing days of the campaign, we can now look back in retrospect and truly acknowledge the insanity that has gone down in the league this year. In fact, so much has gone down that it's easy to forget that the New Orleans Pelicans kicked it all off by trading for Dejounte Murray in the middle of the summer.
Since then, we've seen several NBA A-listers change teams, including Luka Doncic joining the Los Angeles Lakers, Jimmy Butler teaming up with Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, and the Pelicans finally cutting bait with Brandon Ingram and sending him to the Toronto Raptors. Between all of the deadline hoopla and Dejounte Murray's repeated injuries this past season, his presence in New Orleans has been entirely forgettable so far.
A lot of Dejounte Murray's struggles since joining the Pelicans are completely out of control. Still, it's undeniable that his tenure hasn't nearly been worth the price that New Orleans paid to acquire him. That said, a deeper dive into the numbers suggests that Dejounte Murray can still be the point guard the Pelicans need.
Dejounte Murray wasn't as bad this season as it seems
Dejounte Murray's first season with the Pelicans has been nothing short of disastrous. He'll end the campaign with just 31 total games played, with averages of 17.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 2.0 steals, and 3.4 turnovers, having shot just 39 percent from the field and 30 percent from beyond the arc.
Looking broadly at his counting stats, his inefficiency jumps off the page immediately. He would have had a pretty decent season if it weren't for his horrid shooting percentages. The primary driver behind his wayward touch this season is the same reason why he only tallied 31 games: injury.
In his very first game with New Orleans, Murray suffered a fractured left hand. He was eventually able to make his return a month later, but the injury and subsequent rehabilitation clearly affected his touch and rhythm. This was evident as he slowly regained his touch over time.
In his last 11 full games, Murray was up to 22.3 points per game on 44 percent shooting from the field, including 36 percent from deep. In that time, the Pelicans tallied five of their few wins this season, despite still not having Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones. Zion Williamson missed a couple of those dubs, too.
In that stretch, the Pelicans got a taste of what they could be with an All-Star-caliber point guard leading their offense. Unfortunately, it was extremely short-lived, as Murray would rupture his Achilles against the Boston Celtics on January 31. Achilles injuries are no joke, and he'll have a long road to recovery ahead of him. But, with time, I'm completely confident that Dejounte Murray will return to form and become the floor general the Pelicans need.