Heading into next season, the New Orleans Pelicans' goals are obvious: the front office, coaches, and players are all striving to make the playoffs. To some people, myself included, that may seem like wishful thinking, as this team won 26 games last season and made no serious changes to their roster. But if you want to be optimistic going into next season, media day did offer some reason to be. Trey Murphy III dropped a quote that highlights the leadership steps that he needs to take if the Pelicans are going to be in the hunt for a playoff berth next season.
With Murphy III entering his sixth NBA season, his comments about what he and his teammates should prioritize this season suggest he's trending toward becoming a leader. “You get your personal goals when you win. So I don't really think it matters what you do on the court personally if your team isn't winning...That’s what is important in this league is winning games and that's what I'm focused on is winning games," said Murphy III.
For an inexperienced team like the Pelicans, having their most or second-most important player make this statement ahead of a new season means a lot, especially given the roster construction.
The Pelicans need embrace Murphy III's media day comments
When you look at the Pelicans roster, one thing sticks out like a sore thumb as a potential strength: their depth. New Orleans has 11 to 12 players who could realistically get everyday rotation minutes, and for a team like that to succeed, egos have to be checked at the door. So for Murphy III to make it clear his goal and focus is winning games, and whatever stats or accolades come with that are cool, is the type of message this squad needs.
I wrote about this before, but if the Pelicans are going to maximize their potential this season, they have to embrace strength in numbers. Jamahl Mosley is going to have to get his players to realize that some nights you might be the one getting fed the ball, and other nights you may get two shots. The whole focus has to be on feeding the hot hand and playing the guys who are performing on a given night.
There’s a setting in the coaching section of NBA 2K called Lineup Performance Factor. That setting, depending on how high or low it’s turned up, determines whether a coach leans on a set rotation or plays the players performing the best night to night. This upcoming season, Mosley needs to have the lineup performance factor cranked up to 100 for this group to reach their highest ceiling.
Murphy III doesn’t strike me as an overly vocal leader, as that role better suits Dejounte Murray when looking at the Pelicans. However, to come into media day and basically say my stats are my stats; I want to win first, after being first on the team in scoring last year, can set the tone for a team. And while there is a lot of doubt facing the Pelicans heading into the 2026-27 season, Murphy III, among other comments at media day, provides an outlet for optimism.
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