New Orleans Dejounte Murray Named Top “New Face in New Place”

The New Orleans Pelicans are excited about what Dejounte Murray will bring to the team this season.

Nov 4, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) guards Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray (5) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

One of the biggest splashes made in the NBA during the 2024 offseason was the New Orleans Pelicans acquiring guard Dejounte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks.

In need of an upgrade at point guard, the Pelicans came out of nowhere to land the dynamic two-way guard. He will be a nice upgrade for the team, as they lacked a true point guard to lean on at times last season.

There is a lot of excitement surrounding this move and with good reason. As Chris Herring and Kevin Pelton of ESPN pointed out in their piece highlighting top rookies and new faces with new teams, the Washington product fills a major void in the backcourt.

“After two years of splitting ballhandling duties with Trae Young in Atlanta, Murray's trade to New Orleans should put the ball back in his hands on a regular basis. Given the Pelicans' other scoring threats, including Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, it might not be realistic to expect the 25.1 points and 9.1 assists per game Murray averaged when Young was out of the lineup last season. Still, Murray is the most dynamic guard New Orleans has had since Chris Paul,” Peloton wrote.

CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are all solid playmakers in their own right. But, a true table-setter was lacking and Murray will change that.

The ball will be in his hands more than it was with the Hawks, but there are a lot of mouths to feed in New Orleans. When Willie Green wants to give opponents a different look, someone else can initiate the offense.

Murray will have to play off the ball at some points, but it is an area of his offensive game he has shown improvements in, which will only raise the team’s ceiling.

“Based on the ability of Ingram and Williamson to score in isolation, Murray's development as a 3-point shooter could be important for the Pelicans. He hit a career high 2.6 triples per game last season on 36% accuracy, including 39% on catch-and-shoot attempts, according to Second Spectrum tracking. If New Orleans opts to start small-ball lineups with Williamson at center and maximize its shooting, adding Murray should make the Pelicans one of the NBA's best offenses,” wrote Pelton.

While a lot of focus has been on how the new-look offense will operate, what Green has to be most excited about is how strong his defense will be.

Normally one to sacrifice a little offensive firepower to have better results on defense, such a sacrifice shouldn’t have to be made with Murray in the fold. His numbers on that end of the court dipped in Atlanta, but that was mostly because of the environment he was in.

Playing alongside Young will torpedo anyone’s defensive production as he is a lot to cover up for. With a stronger supporting cast around him, we should see his production return to the levels he showed earlier in his career with the San Antonio Spurs.

If that version of Murray emerges, watch out. Opponents are going to be suffocated with him, Trey Murphy and Herbert Jones on the perimeter and Williamson behind them as an improving help defender and shot eraser at the rim.

If Green is willing to go small for stretches at time, the Pelicans are going to be one of the most productive and fun teams to watch in the NBA.