Over the entire course of the New Orleans Pelicans' offseason, Dejounte Murray has been someone that the media and fans appeared to forget about. With the Joe Dumars blockbuster moves of trading for both Derik Queen and Jordan Poole, it makes sense why an injured Murray hasn't been a major talking point this summer.
However, after a recent post made by Murray on Snapchat, fans are going to have a ton to talk about. In the post, Murray took a photo of himself on a scale with it reading 194.1 pounds. Assuming this scale was accurate, that means Murray has added 14 pounds to his listed 180-pound frame. To the average person, gaining 14 pounds might be a reason to rethink their diet or go see a doctor, but for Murray, it could be exactly what he needs to prolong his career.
During his 8 years of NBA experience, Murray has always been someone who thrived driving to the basket. That being said, a constant theme throughout his career has been getting battered and bruised when going to the basket due to his thin frame. Now, with some added size to his frame, this shouldn't be a problem.
This could entirely alter his trajectory going forward
Added weight is going to benefit Murray and the Pelicans in so many ways, starting on the defensive end. He has always had elite defensive instincts and been someone who can trigger steals and create turnovers by using active hands in the passing lanes. With some added size, Murray is less likely to get pushed off his spot and can use his defensive talents more effectively.
Like I mentioned earlier, he has always excelled at scoring at the rim, yet over the past 2 years, Murray has been in the 36th percentile at rim finishing and 25th percentile last season. This poor conversion rate at the rim is primarily because of his thin frame; despite being a bigger guard at 6'5", he has always had a thin frame. An additional 14 pounds is only going to skyrocket his finishing rate at the rim, and could help him add up to 5 more points per game to his average.
Murray was already a franchise-level point guard and former All-Star, and now with some much-needed added size, he is only going to prolong his career. Being bigger next season will only make him stronger and help him avoid future injuries. New Orleans already had a great point guard in Dejounte Murray, and now he is going to take his play to a new level with his near 200-pound frame.