ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania dropped the news that Dejounte Murray's return from his Achilles tear is likely coming in the New Year. The expectation is now that the New Orleans Pelicans will look at Jordan Poole to be the team's starting point guard to open the season.
Although I was and still am a huge fan of the addition of Poole and still am, there is one glaring issue with having him be this group's lead guard, which is his playmaking.
Throughout his entire high school, collegiate, and professional career, Poole has always been a first spark off the bench type of guard. Someone who can just get hot in an instant and is best suited for a sixth man role, where they are tasked with just putting points on the board. This type of playstyle may become problematic for New Orleans to start this season, as they need a distributor at point guard, not someone looking for their own shot.
With Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, and Herb Jones, all being guys who are looking to score when they have the ball, a lack of playmaking from the team's lead guard may make the Pels very isolation-heavy. An offense reminiscent of a bad high school team's, the 'your turn, my turn' style of play that doesn’t really work at any level past the 8th grade.
JP has a career average of 3.8 assists per game, but is coming off a season where he averaged a career high of 4.5 dimes per game with the Wizards. However, I don't think 4.5 assists per game is a high enough average when considering the Pelicans' roster construction.
There is still a reason to be optimistic
Since Joe Dumars' press conference following the NBA draft, we have heard him and other members of the Pelicans organization say Poole is willing to do whatever the team needs. So it’s not far-fetched to think that JP has been trying to improve his ability as a passer and set-up man during the offseason.
We’ve also heard on Media Day that Poole has been in the gym all the time, and his work ethic is motivating teammates like Trey Murphy III to work harder. So if one of his focus areas this summer was his passing, I don’t doubt we could see him take a huge step this season.
One way or another, the Pelicans need someone to take on a role as a playmaker in the absence of Dejounte Murray. So, whether that means the return of ‘point Zion’ or just Poole taking on a role he’s never had, if this team wants to be good next season, someone has to step up.