Dejounte Murray is having a strong season in New Orleans

Dejounte Murray has performed well for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Dejounte Murray couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start in New Orleans. The former Washington Huskies star was traded to the Pelicans from the Atlanta Hawks in the offseason, and in his debut, a near triple-double against the Chicago Bulls, suffered a fractured hand that forced him to miss 17 games.

But since he returned to the lineup, he’s been a bright spot in what has been an otherwise ugly season for coach Willie Green. As the Pelicans sit at the bottom of the Western Conference with an 8-32 record, Murray has done everything in his power to help his team.

The 2022 All-Star has put up some stellar numbers despite the limited supporting cast around him, averaging 16.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game. He posted a triple-double on January 5 against the Washington Wizards, finishing with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.

He’s surpassed 15 points 12 times since his return, including a season-high 29 point outburst against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 7, and is happy with his performance, but expects more of himself.

“I feel like I play the game the right way,” Murray said of his first season in New Orleans. “Obviously I’m not scoring the ball the way I want to, but I will be better at that. But it’s not about just scoring. One thing fans, players, coaches around this league know about Dejounte, is that if shots are not going in, I’m making other guys’ jobs easier, I’m playing defense, I’m rebounding, being vocal. You don’t want to be that player where offense determines how you play.”

He’s done all this without two-time All-Star Zion Williamson, who has been out since early November with a hamstring injury.

However, it appears the former No. 1 overall pick is close to returning, which will make for a strong pairing with Murray.

“It will help a lot,” he said of Williamson’s return. “That’s a guy teams are going to load up on. He’s going to be able to get guys (open) shots and allow that to open things up for himself. We don’t want him to feel like he has to come save the world. Get in a rhythm and flow of things.”

With two seasons and a player option left on his deal, New Orleans seems to expect big things from the pairing of Murray and Williamson, and with some additions through the draft and free agency, will be hoping the pair can help the organization make a return to the playoffs soon.