I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I've been a staunch defender of the New Orleans Pelicans' trade for Dejounte Murray since even before I joined this site. That said, it hasn't been looking good for me or the rest of the Dejounte apologists.
A lot of it has been out of Murray's control. He fractured his left hand in his very first game with the Pelicans. He was able to return after a brief furlough, but his injury and rehabilitation clearly had lingering effects, and his effectiveness was severely hampered. Most notably, his efficiency was well below his career standard. Just as he was starting to regain his touch and look like an All-Star-caliber point guard again, he ruptured his Achilles.
Aside from his injuries, he also didn't have much opportunity to prove how impactful he could be to a winning team, considering how awful New Orleans was by the time he returned from his fractured hand. There's still plenty of time for Murray to come back next season and vindicate the Pelicans' decision to acquire him. Ultimately, the trade won't be able to be judged in its totality until all of the moving parts have settled, so we've got a long way to go before I'm willing to admit defeat on this one. That said, Dyson Daniels and the Atlanta Hawks dropping two straight Play-In games to fall out of the playoffs certainly helps the Pelicans' case.
Dyson Daniels' struggles were glaring in the Hawks' two Play-In Tournament losses
As I've said before, Dyson Daniels deserves a lot of credit for how he's played this season. He took full advantage of his new opportunity and stepped up big time for the Hawks, finishing the year with averages of 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and a league-leading 3.0 steals per game while shooting career-highs of 49 percent from the field and 34 percent from 3-point land.
He's deservedly earned a spot in both Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player discussions for this past season. However, anyone who watched New Orleans closely in his first two years knows that Daniels' production was more a result of his increased opportunity than actual jumps in his capabilities.
The 34 percent mark from deep is encouraging and was an actual stride taken. Everything else, including his defensive accomplishments and his struggles, has always been there for Daniels; they were just hidden on Head Coach Willie Green's bench. While his 3-point shooting has markedly improved, he only went from a virtual non-shooter to a bad one. And as great as his defensive impact and versatile skillset are, his lack of consistent offense will continue to hold him back until he develops a standout skill on that end of the court.
This was especially evident in the Hawks' Play-In loss to the Miami Heat. Daniels finished the night a game-low -12 in his 44 minutes, tallying just 11 points on 5-13 shooting. The shots he didn't take were even worse than his misses. The Heat hid their worst defender on him all game or straight up ignored him to load up on the ball, and he wasn't able to make them pay. He went 50 percent from deep, but it didn't matter, because he only took two triples. He was simply a non-threat from behind the arc, as he was clearly hesitant to take them.
Until he solves that problem, the New Orleans Pelicans should never regret trading him away. The way Daniels plays, he would have never been effective alongside Zion Williamson, no matter how many steals he racks up.