During the 2025 offseason, there has been a ton of buzz surrounding the New Orleans Pelicans. People continue to question the moves Joe Dumars made and things he could've done differently. But through all the negativity and criticism the Pelicans have faced this summer, one player remains completely forgotten. Dejounte Murray.
Now, part of the reason Murray may seem forgotten is that his timetable for returning is still unknown, as all the Pelicans have said is that he is progressing well. However, it still blows my mind that no one is talking about the fact that the Pelicans have an All-Star point guard in the shadows waiting to make his return.
Last season was packed with personal issues for Murray. It started with his mother having a stroke, which was followed by his injuries, and then his cousin was killed, and his uncle overdosed.
All these awful events took a major toll on his mental health and left him in a pretty bad place. Still, if there's one thing I know, it's that Murray is just going to turn everything that happened over the last year, including his Achilles tear, into motivation to get better.
Murray is bound to have a big season in 2025-26
When Murray appeared on the Pivot Podcast, his comments about the Pelicans organization stood out to many and made headlines. What stood out to me wasn't him holding the Pelicans management accountable but rather when he mentioned he was happy to be a point guard again.
Murray spent two seasons in Atlanta and was forced to play off the ball because of Trae Young. So he saw coming to New Orleans as a way to get back to being the engine to an offense and that pass-first point guard he was in his All-Star year for San Antonio.
Now, things didn't go that way, as last season was a disaster, not just for Murray but for the Pelicans as a whole, winning just 21 games. However, Murray, upon returning from injury, can re-enter that point guard engine role and will now have more weapons around him than ever.
With the clear roster upgrades of Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney, Sadiq Bey, and three extremely talented rookies, it makes Murray's job as the engine even more exciting. With these additions, as well as the existing roster featuring Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, who will likely take a jump, Herb Jones, Yves Missi, and more, Murray could very well average upwards of 10 assists per game.
During his All-Star year for the Spurs, he made everyone around him look better. For example, Keldon Johnson averaged at the time a career best 17.0 points per game, which was mostly due to Murray setting him up on a night-in, night-out basis. The same thing goes for Lonnie Walker IV, who had a career year that season, mostly because of Murray.
When looking at what Dejounte Murray was able to do with less, it should excite fans for this upcoming season. He now has a roster of stacked scoring talent around him and is set to have a huge bounce-back season.