The New Orleans Pelicans enter the 2026-27 season with a healthy roster. That’s not a typo (at least for now), as for what feels like the first time in an eternity, the Pelicans have a healthy squad heading into a new season. A huge part of that is Dejounte Murray, who has had a tough first two years full of injuries in New Orleans. But with him healthy, the Pelicans have a strong three-guard rotation with Murray, sophomore Jeremiah Fears, and Jordan Poole, leaving the team with no shortage of strong ball handlers.Â
However, what can help make this guard rotation elite is Murray being a reliable and efficient three-point shooter. In his 10 years in the NBA, Murray has developed into an elite playmaker, a pesky defender, a great rebounder, and a strong finisher. But the one area that has always been up and down is his shooting.Â
Some nights when Murray really has it going, he’s pulling up from the logo and draining pull-up threes like his last name is Curry; other nights he looks like me out there shooting the three.Â
The NBA has become so much of a three-point shooting game, and given the concerns already surrounding the Pelicans' spacing, they can’t afford to have Murray not be a threat from there.Â
Murray’s shooting can alter the Pelicans’ ceiling
Now, no one's going to ask Murray to become a 40 percent three-point shooter overnight or alter his style of play to be a perimeter scorer. Murray is always going to bring the most value as a passer and conductor of offense, but if he can sprinkle in a 36-37 percent clip from three, this team's ceiling becomes infinitely higher. While Murray shot 30.6 percent from three last season, the idea of him being in that 36-37 percent range isn’t unrealistic, as he shot 36.3 percent in his final year with the Atlanta Hawks.
The context behind his poor three-point shooting splits last season also matters, as Murray appeared in just 14 games and was returning from a major Achilles injury. So the idea that his legs weren’t fully under him and that he was playing at less than 100 percent is definitely a fair assumption.
Over the course of his career, Murray has always been a way better off-the-catch three-point shooter than someone who shoots off the dribble. This is why he had so much success from distance in his last year with the Hawks because he had Trae Young creating advantages for him.Â
This is where coaching becomes extremely important in helping Murray be maximized as a shooter.
Although Jamahl Mosley isn’t an offensive-minded head coach and likely won’t be conducting a ton of the play calling on that end, he needs to implement designed sets for Murray to catch and shoot. An easy way he can do that is by putting the ball in Zion Williamson's hands and trusting him to make decisions as a passer. Running actions with Zion as the initiator, and with Murray and Trey Murphy III running off screens and moving off the ball, could boost the team's three-point production.
The Pelicans didn’t address an obvious need for more floor spacing this offseason, and because of that, they’ll need a ton of internal growth. Dejounte Murray getting back to his 2023-24 three-point shooting form is a massive part of that potential growth.
Add us as a preferred source on Google